Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Minchin for that question. The whole process of the national broadband network has been one which we have been given extensive probity advice on. At times I have even drawn on some of the experience of the former Minister for Finance and Administration in dealing with questions around live tender processes. I have even been forced to quote from Senator Minchin’s own Hansard in Senate estimates when he defended refusing to answer any questions, over an extensive period, to do with the T3 prospectus sale—in fact, he had the ACCC gagged and he had the departmental officials gagged. So we have been very consistent on this matter. We have never at any stage confirmed how many expressions of interest we have. There has been much speculation in the papers, and I have often referred to that speculation in the newspapers.

Equally, in terms of the bids that will be entered tomorrow, there has been much speculation about who will bid. We will not be issuing a statement, but I have no doubt that, as the Acting Prime Minister indicated yesterday, it will be very public knowledge, because already two organisations have formally announced, in the last 24 hours, that they will definitely be putting in a bid. One other organisation is considering whether to put in a bid and a fourth organisation has indicated that it is likely to bid but has not made a final decision. You can read all of that in the newspapers. So, as the Acting Prime Minister said yesterday, there will be full public knowledge because the bidders will be announcing themselves. The probity advice we have been given has been quite clear about this.