To the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament assembled.

The Petition of the undersigned draws to the attention of the Senate, that the first sale, one third of Telstra, cost the Australian taxpayer $10 billion, the windfall gains of the wealthy share owners. In addition, the service levels of Telstra have fallen sharply since that partial sale as the effect of shedding 25,000 staff to boost shareholders' profits flows are felt.

Your petitioners request that the Senate reject any further sale of Telstra. Since the sale of the first third was a failure, any further sale would exacerbate and compound these problems. Such sale would create a powerful new company in Australia, twice the size of BHP or National Australia Bank—reliant entirely on its ability to resist Government regulation for its profitability. That does not offer a fair deal for Telstra's household or small business customers.