Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I asked Senator Conroy today about one of the policies that he has announced today as part of his package of telecommunications regulation changes. One of those policies is in fact to propose the forced break up of Telstra, one of Australia’s major corporations, a major employer, and the principal provider of telecommunications in the country today. One of the audacious things among many that Senator Conroy purported to convey to us today was that in fact the government is not proposing to force the break up. No-one believes that proposition. All the financial press today are reporting that the government is proposing the forced break up of Telstra. That is what this government has in fact announced and it has had a dramatic impact on the value of the company already. This announcement of the forced—