Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—During question time I was called upon by Senator Crossin to correct a statement made in answer to a question yesterday from Senator Birmingham. The statement concerned Labor’s pollster, Mr Utting, being on Telstra’s payroll. After question time I read a copy of a letter from Mr Utting, the Managing Director of UMR Research, and a letter from Philip M Burgess of Telstra Corporation Ltd that had apparently been widely copied.

Both letters assert that Mr Utting has no current or any recent financial relationship with Telstra. However, research of the UMR website, last updated today, claims that over the past few years UMR has worked with a wide range of clients, which is illustrated in what is described as a recent client list for Australia and New Zealand. Under the selected clients listed as recent clients is none other than Telstra.

So, whilst I certainly would correct the record if it is wrong, the information on the public record is, I would submit, equivocal and it certainly does suggest that Telstra is a client. It is Telstra and Mr Utting acting on a voluntary basis—I do not know whether that is in fact the position—but, if Telstra and Mr Utting have no financial relationship, it is odd that Telstra is specifically listed as late as today on the UMR website as a client. So, to be fair to both Mr Utting and Telstra, I have placed the competing versions on the record. I note that the letter from Telstra gave no assurance or guarantee that Telstra would not be meddling in the election to try to secure a Labor victory. I table the website of UMR Research Ltd.