Mr ALBANESE (8:59 PM) —This is quite an extraordinary motion in that it has two parts which are contradictory. The first part urges Telstra to pursue its obligations to Australia's rural and regional dwellers with full vigour, but the second part speaks about full privatisation of Telstra. Why have the two parts been separated? Because privatisation is a disaster for regional Australia. That is why the two parts could not be put together. That is why there are two parts to this motion. It is almost an implicit acknowledgment by the member for Wentworth, the smallest electorate in Australia, that privatisation is bad for regional Australia.

The member for Wentworth also raised the question of people demonstrating outside party conventions. I was up in Tweed Heads at the National Party federal conference on Saturday, and I must say that it was quite an enjoyable place to be. What has occurred is that the National Party have abandoned any pretence of representing regional Australia. You have only to look at the issue of Telstra privatisation and the issue of the GST being applied to caravan parks. What occurred last week was quite extraordinary. In the history of the National Party, they have never stooped so low. The Minister for Community Services, the member for Richmond, was quoted on the AM program on 15 June as saying:

referring to the GST on caravan parks—

Everyone thought he was going to take a stance.

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mrs Gash)—Order! The motion is to do with Telstra. Please come back to the motion.

Mr ALBANESE —That is right: it is to do with regional services, and the member referred to party conventions. The member for Cowper actually said:

Mr Andrew Thomson —Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I cannot really let this continue without drawing your attention to the nature of the motion before the House.

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER —The point of order has been taken. The member for Wentworth will be seated. I call the member for Grayndler.

Mr ALBANESE —The fact is that this motion highlights the disparity between the rhetoric of the government with regard to regional services and what they are actually doing on the ground. Tonight Channel 9 raised the issue of an Econtech report which showed that boarding house residents will be worse off as a result of the GST—in direct contradiction to what the Prime Minister said.

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER —Order! The member for Grayndler will refer to the motion, which is to do with Telstra.

Mr ALBANESE —With regard to the issue of regional services—and it is an interesting definition of private members business, because if we are going to have a tight definition of private members business then we on this side will exercise it across the board, and perhaps the member for Wentworth should bear that in mind—I am not surprised that they are running away from the debate about regional services with regard to Telstra and other business. I want to quote also Senator Ross Lightfoot, who today said:

That is the attitude of this government towards regional services.

Mr Slipper —Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. You have been fairly generous to the honourable member for Grayndler. You have drawn his attention to the relevance of the debate, and he just seems to be completely ignoring your ruling. I would ask you to bring him back to the matter at hand or, alternatively, sit him down and allow other people—

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER —Please be seated. The member for Grayndler has the call.

Mr ALBANESE —I conclude by saying that, with regard to regional services, the National Party and the government are way behind, and the people of Australia have woken up. Privatisation of Telstra is something that they will not cop, as they will not cop the GST being applied to people in regional Australia in a way, Madam Deputy Speaker, I might remind you, that you yourself declared to be a `stuff-up' and `discriminatory'. There is no other explanation for it.

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER —Order! The member for Grayndler will return to the motion, which is to do with Telstra.

Mr ALBANESE —I have concluded.