Nationals stay cold on Telstra sale

The National Party today reaffirmed its opposition to any further sale of Telstra until
problems concerning community service standards in country and regional areas are
fully resolved.

A meeting of the Party's Federal and State NSW Parliamentarians and Central
Executive in Albury today tool a hard line on the further privatisation of Telstra and
on the replacement of the analogue mobile phone system with CDMA technology.

"Our Party and country consumers are worried about the full privatisation of Telstra,"
the NSW Chairman, Helen Dickie said.

"That is understandable. People believe the quality of Telstra service in country and
regional areas has decline since partial privatisation."

"At the same time, we recognise that continued Government control of Telstra doesn't
necessarily mean improved service."

"The essential requirements before any further sale is considered are to legally enforce
the full delivery of Telstra's universal service obligations are fully delivered to
 regional Australia as well as the $671 million infrastructure improvements promised 
as a result of the previous two Telstra sales. We must also legislate to protect
community service standards and legislate to suspend Telstra's contracts if service
obligations are not continually honoured."

Mrs Dickie, noting that the National party had been instrumental in providing the
CDMA mobile phone alternative to analogue, said the meeting had called on the
Federal Government to require Telstra to complete the initial rollout of the CDMA
system as quickly as possible.

"This rollout must include the provision of CDMA cells on towers where these is only
GSM digital at present, as previously agreed by the Telstra board."

"We want the Government to prevent any further closure of analogue towers until the
CDMA network rollout is fully completed and require the definition of 'reasonable
equivalent coverage" to mean the same coverage as was available under the analogue
network." Mrs Dickie said.

February 4, 2000

Contact  Helen Dickie   0418 458 499

This is a precise word-for-word reproduction of the National Party's fax.