Mr BEAZLEY (2:01 PM) —My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Deputy Prime Minister, when you were asked about the Postal Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2000 on Monday by my shadow minister, didn't you know that the government was going to withdraw the bill? Were you deliberately left out of the loop or was this latest decision to backflip only made since that time? Given that the government has now withdrawn the bill, will you guarantee that you will not persist with any proposal to further deregulate Australia Post services for the duration of this parliament and, if re-elected, for the next?

Mr ANDERSON (Deputy Prime Minister) —I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. His spokesman on telecommunications has been trying to beat this issue up. He was in here quivering with mock rage in a most extraordinary way this morning. But the fact is that he is not the slightest bit concerned about the probity of the government's actions regarding the Postal Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2000; he is not worried about the answers I gave on previous occasions on this matter; least of all is he worried about the adequacy of postal services in rural and regional Australia. The only reason he is upset is that the removal of this bill from consideration has exposed his ongoing deceit. This false claim that he gives a damn about services in rural and regional Australia has been exposed, as have the misrepresentations and distortions that he puts to the Australian media on this.

I said on Monday, and I repeat now, that it is absurd to describe the actions that the government was taking as either deregulation or privatisation of Australia Post. That was perfectly accurate on Monday, and it is accurate now. The shadow spokesman in particular, picked up now by the Leader of the Opposition, is upset because he can no longer dissemble on this issue—that is what this is about. He is upset because he fears that he might have to stand on the Labor Party's record on post offices: 277 closed in contrast to the 105 that have opened since we have been in government. His problem is that country people have long memories. They remember where those post offices once were, and they are able to see where we have reopened them.