Vic: Beazley says broadband not Telstra sale the real issue

AAP General News (Australia)
08-26-2006
Vic: Beazley says broadband not Telstra sale the real issue

KIM BEAZLEY says the federal government should concentrate on speeding up Australia's
broadband system in line with the rest of the world .. and not sell off its telecommunications
system.

The Labor leader says Australia's mum and dad investors and the opposition have two
months to force JOHN HOWARD to change his mind .. and cancel the proposed sale of Telstra.

Yesterday the prime minister announced plans to sell eight billion dollars' worth of
Telstra shares in October .. and transfer the remaining shares into the Future Fund to
be sold off later.

Mr BEAZLEY says by leaving a large chunk of Telstra shares in the Future Fund to overhang
the market .. the government will keep the share price suppressed for a long period to
come.

And he says said the HOWARD government's left Australia with a telecommunications system
which isn't as good as its competitors.

He says the Labor party's committed to increasing the speed of broadband to between
15 and 25 times what it is at the moment.

AAP RTV jmw/tm/

KEYWORD: TELSTRA BEAZLEY (MELBOURNE)

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