Mr TANNER (2:49 PM) —My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services and it follows the question from the Leader of the Opposition to the Prime Minister. I refer to the decline in Telstra capital investment since 1999-2000 of over $1 billion per annum and to the statement in the leaked Telstra documents that:

And:

Further:

Don't these leaked documents comprehensively refute the Deputy Prime Minister's previous statements regarding the state of Telstra's network and services in regional Australia?

Mr ANDERSON (Minister for Transport and Regional Services) —I thank the honourable member for his question. The first point I have to make is: I have not seen the so-called leaked documents so I am not in a position to comment on them. But there are some other comments I would like to make. The first is that I have yet to meet anybody in rural, regional or remote Australia who believes that the Labor Party could give a tuppeny damn about what sorts of services they have. The second comment I would make is that I am rarely asked questions by the opposition about Telstra and rural telecommunications services. The last time I was asked I issued a simple challenge: is there anyone on that side who does not believe that the government of the day has all the heads of power it needs to insist on adequate services for rural, regional and remote Australians regardless of ownership? Because the government does have the power, and those opposite know it. The shadow minister for communications knows it. What I would like my friends up in the gallery to do—

The SPEAKER —The Deputy Prime Minister will address his remarks through the chair.

Mr ANDERSON —Mr Speaker, through you, if I may, to the gallery—

Opposition members interjecting—

Mr ANDERSON —There are not many there—what a pity. They have not stayed behind for the shadow minister's questions. What I would love them to do is to publish every press release of the shadow minister for communications—every single one of them. I have never seen such undiluted tripe of the sort that you get from the shadow minister. It is just extraordinary. But there is only one take beyond the obvious, which is that he is a political opportunist, and that is this: if he had his way, he would completely and absolutely reregulate Telstra so we could not tell the difference between Telstra and the old PMG. I tell you what, if ever we had lousy services in the country it was when we had the PMG.

Mr Tanner —I seek leave to table the document headed `Business and commercial operations infrastructure services: Telstra in-confidence'.

Leave granted.