ARN

Communications high on list of demands from Independent MPs

Three independents set to meet with Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, and Shadow Communications Minister, Tony Smith.
The first part of the letter.

The first part of the letter.

  • The first part of the letter.
  • The second part of the letter.
  • The third part of the letter.
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The three independent MPs that could choose which party takes control of the country have demanded a meeting with the secretary of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Peter Harris.

Tony Windsor, Bob Katter and Rob Oakeshott spent around one hour with Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and Opposition leader, Tony Abbott, each during which a seven point list of demands was provided.

The three also requested briefings from Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, and Shadow Minister, Tony Smith, to discuss their proposed programs over the next three years.

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy was the second department mentioned after the Treasury. The other departments involved are;

  • Health and Ageing
  • Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
  • Ifrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
  • Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
  • Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water
  • Defence
  • Resources, Energy and Tourism

As reported by ARN earlier, a key concern of all three is the costings provided by all parties during the election campaign. During a National Press Club event featuring all three independents, Windsor labelled the $43 billion figure provided by the Government on the NBN as ‘fictitious’.

“We seek access to information under the ‘caretaker conventions’ to economic advice from the Secretary of the Treasury, Ken Henry, and Secretary of Finance, David Tune, including the costings and impacts of Government and Opposition election promises and policies on the budget,” the trio said in the letter.

Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.

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Tags: bob katter, broadband, NBN, Rob Oakeshot, Senator Stephen Conroy, Telstra, Tony Abbott, tony smith, Tony Windsor
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