Nationals howling at the moon on Telstra reform

James Riley
Friday, 23 October 2009 12:36

Opinion and Analysis

The Rudd Government's telecommunications reform package passed through the House today, and will be debated in the Senate next week in what is shaping to the most important the industry has seen in a generation.

The lead up to a big week generates its own gravitational pull on the sector under debate, and even though the Senate was up to its eyeballs in Estimates hearing, the spectre of telecommunications bill loomed large.

So when I spied The Lord Carter of Barnes (who until a year ago was just Stephen Carter) sitting at the Parliament coffee shop this week it made perfect sense.

In a previous role, Stephen Carter was Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting in the UK – at the time with BT was functionally separated and the open access network OpenReach was created. This came about through a voluntary agreement between BT and the UK’s telecommunications regulator Ofcom.

The Lord Carter knows a bit about this stuff. He has moved on to the private sector with a company called The Numbers – broadly a directory services business that has set up in markets around the world as they have deregulated and opportunities present.

So Australia is starting to look good. How good will depend a lot on what happens in the Senate next week. And the Baron was doing the rounds of parliamentary offices like everyone else – offering some wisdom.

We know he met with the Minister Stephen Conroy and would assume too he met with shadow spokesman Nick Minchin. And he met with the Nationals Fiona Nash.

Which brings us to the party of regional Australia.

CONTINUED Page 2