MARK COLVIN: The Federal Opposition says a scathing audit report on the Australia Network tender process calls into question the future of the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy. The Auditor-General says the 13-month process to decide on an operator for the overseas television service was flawed and cast the Government in a poor light. The…
DetailsANDREW GREENE: Hello and welcome to Capital Hill. I’m Andrew Greene on a day of dramatic developments in two long-awaited investigations troubling the Gillard Government. First, this morning, the Commonwealth Auditor-General highlighted a series of flaws in the Government’s handling of the tender for the Australia Network contract. Then, hours later, Fair Work Australia…
DetailsCHRIS UHLMANN: Today offered another insight into the dysfunction at the heart of the Gillard Government during its simmering leadership tensions. An Auditor-General’s report declared the flawed tender process for the overseas television service cast the Government in a poor light and raised questions about its fairness. The tender panel twice recommended Sky TV…
DetailsUnanswered questions on the future of the River Murray should be addressed at a Basin Plan public meeting in Adelaide today, Coalition Murray-Darling Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said. The meeting at the Adelaide Convention Centre today from 10am is the last such one scheduled by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority before formal consultation ends…
DetailsLabor’s carbon tax is perversely about to make it harder to help the environment, Acting Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage Simon Birmingham said today. Plastics recycling companies are warning they will have to cut hundreds of jobs or go broke due to soaring electricity costs. The Gillard Government expects…
DetailsThe Auditor-General’s report into the conduct of the Australia Network tender is a damning indictment of the handling of this tender by both Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy. It demonstrates that the dysfunction at the heart of this Government is responsible for the ultimate corruption of this $223 million…
DetailsKIERAN GILBERT: We’re now going to cross to Adelaide Liberal frontbencher Senator Simon Birmingham, spokesman for the Coalition on Murray-Darling and [in the Senate see below] Communications. Senator, thanks for your time. First of all, can I get your thoughts on this [Australia21] report and the prominent Australians calling for a rethink…
DetailsELEANOR HALL: The Auditor-General today flayed the Federal Government over its tender process for the Australia Network contract, pointing to several serious flaws in the process. The Auditor General’s report, which was released this morning, says the process cost the two tenderers the ABC and Sky News time and money. …
DetailsThe Government must act to restore confidence in the Murray-Darling Basin reform process and release all legal advice relating to the consistency of the proposed Basin Plan with the Water Act, Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. “With conflicting legal advice being touted by environmentalists, irrigators and the South Australian Government, it’s…
DetailsDAVID BEVAN: Well, by now, everything was meant to be hunky-dory. We were well into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and everybody was getting along and the river was looking better. That’s by now because this agreement was signed off… remember the big meeting we had here in Adelaide? I think it was at the…
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