“On any given day dozens of Labor politicians would be on the phone
gossiping, plotting and spreading rumours about their so-called
colleagues.

“Nothing was off-limits. Personal and private matters were seen as fair game.”

Telstra debate won’t disappear: Beazley

The debate over Telstra’s sale will not disappear after the legislation
is rammed through federal parliament, Opposition Leader Kim Beazley
says.

And Mr Beazley says Telstra will lose interest in regional Australia the moment the sale bills are passed.

Key Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce looks poised to give the government
his crucial vote to get its Telstra sale laws through the parliament.

With a final vote on the contentious legislation possible as early as
Wednesday, Senator Joyce appears to be moving closer to a position
which fits with the rest of his government colleagues.

But Mr Beazley said despite the sale apparently being in the bag, it
was not time for Labor to abandon its opposition to the full
privatisation of the company and move on.

“Telstra and its services are absolutely critical to the economic
future of regional Australia and, for that matter, us in metropolitan
areas as well,” he told ABC radio.

“This is a debate that’s not going to go away. The government has
handled it not in nation-building terms, which is Labor’s approach, but
in the ideological terms – that’s not good enough.”

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Mr Beazley said Telstra’s interest in regional Australia would evaporate as soon as the sale legislation was passed.

The government has denied any knowledge of Telstra’s alleged plan to axe about 14,000 jobs from its 40,000 strong workforce.

Labor and the Community and Public Sector Union are demanding the
government release a secret 104-page internal Telstra report outlining
the job cuts.

“The first thing we’re going to find out – if and when this vote goes
through – is some of the truth about what’s going to go on in job
losses,” Mr Beazley said.

“And it does look to me as though Telstra is preparing for the final phase of reduction of capacity in regional Australia.

“That ought to be out there on the table for consideration before the
vote is actually taken and that’s what the Labor Party’s trying to do
over the next 48 hours.

“I think what’s going to happen after that, Telstra’s going to, the
moment this legislation is through the parliament, they’re going to
lose interest in regional Australia.”

© 2005 AAP