A truly independent panel must be appointed to select future Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Board members, Senator Simon Birmingham today. A so-called “independent panel” is planned to provide Communications Minister Stephen Conroy with a shortlist for board vacancies as part of Labor’s election policies, a scheme similar to the BBC’s board appointment process.…
Senator Simon Birmingham has called on the Member for Wakefield, Nick Champion, to speak for himself and not try to put words into the mouths of others. Responding to a press release issued by Mr Champion, Senator Birmingham said that Mr Champion needed to be careful his party’s industrial relations reforms don’t sell…
Senator Simon Birmingham today called on Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to publicly confirm he will not unnecessarily delay signing off on a business plan to deliver a new high speed wireless broadband network to rural Australia. Optus and Elders joint venture OPEL’s business plan for building its wholesale broadband network in regional and…
Today’s announcement of a new water sharing deal for the River Murray further highlights the lack of progress in achieving long term solutions for the Murray-Darling Basin. Senator Simon Birmingham said that long term progress on the National Plan for Water Security, launched more than a year ago and blocked by Victoria’s Labor…
On the first anniversary of the ambitious $10 billion plan to take national control of the Murray-Darling Basin, Senator Simon Birmingham has called on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to get on with the job of resolving the management of the Murray before it’s too late. Senator Birmingham said the stubborn and recalcitrant approach…
Senator Simon Birmingham wants to hear from South Australians having difficulty with the transition from the soon to be closed CDMA mobile phone network to Telstra’s Next G network. It follows Communications Minister Stephen Conroy’s decision today to push back by three months to 28 April the switch off of the CDMA network.…
Kevin Rudd needs to urgently set a date for a meeting with the states on saving the Murray-Darling Basin, Senator Simon Birmingham said today Senator Birmingham said with the Murray-Darling left off of this week’s COAG meeting agenda, Mr Rudd needs to immediately set another date to bring the states into line and…
Senator Simon Birmingham said today the Rann Labor Government’s belated commitment for a water recycling project that will save thousands of litres of wastewater being pumped out to sea was better late than never. A multi-million dollar project for the wider reuse of water from the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant, including watering the…
Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham has described State and Territory Labor Governments, including in his own South Australia, as “weak and gutless” for their failure to bring Victoria into line in supporting comprehensive national management of the Murray-Darling Basin. Speaking during today’s hearings of the Senate Environment Committee into the Water Bill 2007, Senator…
A Federal Labor MP’s attempts to claim credit for driving a water plan being held up by the Rann Government were laughable, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. In his latest newsletter, Labor MP Steve Georganas says he “…has ignited State Government interest in a water plan that would provide as much as…