Media Release

KAP Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has expressed his outrage over the Productivity Commission considering if there is a continued need for Universal Service Obligations (USO) by the Federal Government in relation to provision of telephone landlines.

The USO enforces minimum communication standards across Australia, regardless of remoteness.

“I doubt if there is anyone in rural Australia that would say they are enjoying the USO now - so I suppose they would say it might as well become a UFO,” Mr Katter said.

“I was still in the joint government party room when they sold Telstra. People like Minister Joyce promised that if elected, he would vote against the sale of Telstra. Well, six months later he and many others voted for it and they told us we would be protected by USO.

“If the Productivity Commission get their way it will cripple the beef industry, which - after the two giants of iron ore and coal - hovers around the third biggest export industry."

One remote Kennedy constituent expressed concern over medical security and existing long periods without landlines.

The constituent reported that “recently on two occasions, phones were out for a two-week period and a six-day period. At no time was I contacted by Telstra to be advised, be apologised to, or offered compensation for loss of business. When outages are reported (by others helping out), there is an air of scepticism and dismissal in the attitude of Telstra staff, who insist everything is demonstrating to be all okay at their end so no report is recorded."

Mr Katter said: “These (the Productivity Commission) are one group of people who couldn’t care less. They are like the Bourbon Kings – forgotten nothing and learnt nothing.

“It was the Productivity Commission that told us, of the car industry, that if we removed all protections, tariffs and contractual preferences for ‘Australian-made’, there would be a 20 per cent intrusion into the market. As we all know, by the end of this year there will have been 100 per cent intrusion.

“The Productivity Commission report told us that a free trade agreement with America would be a great benefit for Australia. There have been arguably three subsequent reports saying it was not beneficial to Australia.

“When Productivity Commission says there is no fire, race to a fire extinguisher because someone is going to get burnt and you know who it will be – we Australians.

“The Productivity Commission and their Parliamentary puppets are the arch-angels of economic evil."