❓ The Minister's answer avoids directly detailing the impact of Telstra's sale on regional WA, instead focusing on criticising the Liberal party's support for the sale and perceived lack of advocacy for regional interests. The response expresses concerns about future service quality and funding.
AnsweredQoN 385Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Can the minister detail the impact of Telstra’s sale on regional Western Australia? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER
AnswerView source ↗
Not only will people on our side of politics and those who voted for us be disappointed, but also those who voted for members opposite, because every survey shows that the majority of Liberal voters do not want the sale of Telstra. Liberals have not even listened to their own voters, particularly those in regional Western Australia. Mr T.R. Buswell : What do you want to say? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER replied: Not only will people on our side of politics and those who voted for us be disappointed, but also those who voted for members opposite, because every survey shows that the majority of Liberal voters do not want the sale of Telstra. Liberals have not even listened to their own voters, particularly those in regional Western Australia. Mr T.R. Buswell : What do you want to say? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Not only will people on our side of politics and those who voted for us be disappointed, but also those who voted for members opposite, because every survey shows that the majority of Liberal voters do not want the sale of Telstra. Liberals have not even listened to their own voters, particularly those in regional Western Australia. Mr T.R. Buswell : What do you want to say? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr T.R. Buswell : What do you want to say? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER replied: Not only will people on our side of politics and those who voted for us be disappointed, but also those who voted for members opposite, because every survey shows that the majority of Liberal voters do not want the sale of Telstra. Liberals have not even listened to their own voters, particularly those in regional Western Australia. Mr T.R. Buswell : What do you want to say? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Not only will people on our side of politics and those who voted for us be disappointed, but also those who voted for members opposite, because every survey shows that the majority of Liberal voters do not want the sale of Telstra. Liberals have not even listened to their own voters, particularly those in regional Western Australia. Mr T.R. Buswell : What do you want to say? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr T.R. Buswell : What do you want to say? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : I will tell the opposition members what they have done. They had a chance today to come over to this side of the house and vote with us, but they did not do it. Every Western Australian, particularly those in the regions, will be disappointed that they did not. The Leader of the Opposition, in particular, is from the country and should have voted with us, and he knows it. Earlier today the member for Perth pointed out that regional Western Australia is missing out and that even the central business district in Perth has bad, third-world communications. Members may think that communications are bad in Perth, but they will find the further they get away from Perth the worse it becomes. All those country members are embarrassed about it. The federal member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase, has been saying for the best part of a year that he would not vote for the sale of Telstra until he was assured that the services in his electorate would be up to standard. The services are not up to standard. The $3 billion will run out very quickly. What will we have after that? Will we have a core promise or a non-core promise from John Howard? Once the money runs out, what will we do? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Leschenault to order for the second time, and I call the member for Vasse to order. Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr B.J. Grylls : You explain how you would do it. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : The first thing I would do is not sell Telstra and keep the profits every year. As I have said many times, we never see anything but a Telstra truck in regional Western Australia. That is the fact of the matter. We never see Orange, Hutchison or Optus trucks; we only ever see Telstra trucks. Once Telstra is on the same level playing field as other providers, guess how many times we will see Telstra trucks in the bush? We will never see Telstra trucks there. Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr M.J. Birney : Will you take an interjection? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : No. The Leader of the Opposition had his chance earlier today. He did not want to speak on this issue. Even the member for Cottesloe, who always raises good arguments - Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr C.J. Barnett : You never used to say that. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER : It is amazing what a couple of days in politics does. The member for Cottesloe pointed out that Western Australia already has price discrimination. Even he conceded that the situation will only get worse. The federal government talks about the $3 billion, but it will go in a snap, and then John Howard will have to come out with a promise. Will it be a core promise or a non-core promise? Let us have a guess. I guess it will be a non-core promise. He will have his slush fund for the next election. The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
The pity is that today state Liberals did not stand up. There was one chance left for federal Liberal senators to join the Queensland National Party members to start agitating for a better deal for Western Australia. They have as yet shown no sign of the courage to do that. People on the Liberal side of politics have always said that they can vote how they want to vote; that they do not have to follow the party line. Why did they follow the party line today? Why did they not come over to this side of the house and vote for Western Australia, instead of voting for the Liberal Party? They had the opportunity and they refused to take it. Today is a sad day for Western Australia. The Liberal Party members were found wanting, and we will be letting their constituents know all about it.
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