Senator HARRADINE(4.06 p.m.) —I have been listening to these discussions very carefully. I originally thought that I may be supporting the opposition's amendment. I have been listening to the responses and the questions. Firstly, the bed of competition has been made, and I suppose that both the opposition and the government have to lie in it. If you take that as a starting point, the government's amendment fits within that particular schema better than the opposition's amendment.

I want to take up that last point that Senator Schacht raised in regard to what are the factors that are going to be placed in the weighted average scales. That is something that I would certainly like to hear more about. If I cannot hear more about it, then they should be in some sort of amendable instrument.

Secondly—I do not know who raised it: I think it was Senator Allison or Senator Margetts; it might even have been Senator Schacht—if this particular amendment by the government is carried, the least that should be done is a review to see how it is going. After a period of couple of years, you must see how it is going. If this whole concept is one of the major planks of your legislation, Minister, then surely we really do need to see how that is operating, particularly how it is going to affect those who are not going to be able to share in the benefits of competition in other ways. You know who I mean. Everybody knows that is the bush—regional Australia.

As I understand it, what the minister is saying is that in local calls there are not going to be benefits shared by regional Australian USOs unless, at the very least, his amendment is adopted. Under those circumstances, when is the proof going to be in the eating of the pudding—if a pudding is going to be cooked—and when are we going to know?

So I am inclined in the best of bad worlds to vote for the government's amendment, but I do feel that there are legitimate concerns in respect of what factors are going to be put into the scale for the weighted average and that these ought to be in legislation or in an amendable instrument.