Email from David Kelly from the office of  Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party, John Anderson.

Boyd:
The Sydney number you are giving out for John Anderson in Sydney is actually his parents in-law. They have nothing to do with Govt policy, or CDMA, and it is grossly unfair for them to be disturbed.

I note that you are even giving this number to the media. That is even more of an impost on John's in-laws. His Canberra office has been staffed this morning. His press secretary is on duty - James Baker 0417 225 176 You can direct other people to me on 0408 478 654.
But bothering his in-laws is quite unfair.

Reply email from Boyd Munro of APUMP

Hello David,

Firstly a very happy Y2K to you and to John.

Many thanks for letting me know your views as expressed in your note below.

Let's be clear about what happened. John Anderson failed to honour Tim Fischer's promise about mobile phone coverage in regional Australia. I sent a fax to a number of people in regional Australia, and a number of journalists, spelling that out. I suggested that they contact John at the phone number where he actually was on the day his government had chosen to break that promise by closing the analogue mobile phone network.

Of course I regret the intrusion I caused in the lives of John's parents-in-law.

But I also regret the intrusion John has caused in the lives of people like David Bragg. David is a farmer who lives with his family near Bathurst. Until today, he and his family had phone service. Now they have lost it. Not just mobile phone service, ALL phone service, because they do not have a land line. If they want to make an outward call, they now have to drive 2km. They cannot receive inward calls at all. He bought a CDMA phone but it DOES NOT WORK in his home.

David Bragg and his family have nothing to do with government policy, or with CDMA. Isn't it grossly unfair that they are being treated the way John is treating them? John can protect his parents-in-law from inconvenience by not making it known that he is going to their place. People like David Bragg who have lost their phone service because of John's failure to honour Tim's promise cannot protect themselves in any way.

I wanted John to hear direct from some of the people affected by his failure to honour Tim's promise. That is why I gave people the number where he actually was, not an office number where he was not. I wanted him to know what he has done to the honest hard-working souls who in so many cases are his supporters.

When Tim made that sweeping commitment in his Press Release on 9th July 1998, I took it at face value. I realised that CDMA may not achieve all that was hoped for, but I felt entirely confident that if it did not, the Nationals would get a life extension for analogue. I heaped praise on the Nationals and Tim, including a widely-quoted opinion piece in The Australian. At Swan Hill on March 18th 1999 I asked Tim to confirm the words in his Press Release, and he did so without reservation. I again heaped praise on the Party and Tim.

I remained confident when John took over because it did not occur to me that he would walk away from such an unambiguous commitment.

My confidence has been completely obliterated in the past 2 weeks since I started testing. I have carried out tests in the Northern Rivers area, in the Hunter Valley, and the Central West. Everywhere the story is the same - CDMA coverage is far less than analogue. I feel very badly let down. The Howard/Anderson government is deceiving its own people by saying that CDMA coverage is as good as analogue.

Over the coming weeks and months I plan to fly to the scene of newsworthy accidents in regional Australia, and I will point out the practical consequences of John's failure to honour Tim's promise, namely needless suffering and death. I do not look forward to that at all, but it is the technique most likely to achieve the result Australia needs.

Today (1st January) I took a drive to evaluate the effect of your government's action. I drove north from Sydney up through Wollombi to Cessnock. You have taken mobile phone service away from the whole of the road from 40km South of Wollombi to Singleton.

I find it quite odd that you are complaining to me about mobile phone users ringing John at his parents in law. John has taken away, or threatens to take away, their communication and you seem to think they are lesser mortals who should not ring him.

Incidentally, I have a very simple practice with politicians' private numbers. If they or their staff give me those numbers, I use them myself but do not publish them. If, on the other hand, I find those numbers out by other means then I publish them if a purpose will be served by doing so. The number of the place where John was staying on 31st December was not one which you, or he, had given me. It was one I had to find out myself. You can protect any of John's other numbers by telling me them.

David, I hope you will show this letter to John. Not show him a summary, but show him the whole thing. He and his colleagues seem to have no concept of the damage they are doing to their loyal supporters, and thus to their party, by breaking this promise. Your message simply confirms my fear that you just see this all as a debating game, not as something which affects real people's way of life, and indeed the existence of their lives. The odd thing in all of this is that the electorate of Gwydir will be the very hardest-hit by this blunder.

Cheers,

Boyd Munro