Ms Livingstone told shareholders last month directors had a duty to move carefully and conduct “extreme due diligence” on its involvement in the NBN.
However, Mr O’Sullivan said, Telstra’s recent talk about the complexity of the process revealed that its underlying “script” had not changed despite the new leadership. The company had a long history of frustrating efforts to open up competition in the fixed line market and it was “rational” for it to now delay the process and confuse the issue in an effort to protect its control over the phone lines going into most Australian homes.
While Telstra had been “remarkably admirable in its gymnastics and ability to change its story, the fundamental strategy remains the same, which is delay,” he said. “If you’re making 60 per cent margins, the last thing you want is change.” Hitting back at allegations that Optus had not invested enough in Australian telecommunications infrastructure, Mr O’Sullivan said: “It’s an important lie to nail.
via The Australian.
