| THE HON DARYL WILLIAMS AM QC MP MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS |
SENATOR THE HON NICK MINCHIN MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION |
RESIGNATION OF TELSTRA CHAIRMAN
14 April 2004The Government welcomes the appointment of Mr John Ralph as interim Chairman of the Telstra board and we look forward to working with him in the future.
The Government would also like to thank the outgoing Chairman, Mr Robert Mansfield, for the work he has done since being appointed Chairman in January 2000.
Telstra is a great Australian company operating in an increasingly competitive market and in a dynamic, innovative sector of the economy.
Mr Mansfield brought vast experience to the Telstra board in terms of running telecommunications companies in Australia.
He has been a key figure in the Australian telecommunications landscape from the early days of de-regulation.
As Chairman, Mr Mansfield steered Telstra through the opportunities created by the dot com boom and the consequential challenges of the collapse of the dot com market.
During this time, Telstra continued to perform as one of the leading telecommunications companies in the world, improving its underlying profitability and delivering increased dividends to shareholders.
At the same time, service levels, as measured by the Australian Communications Authority, have improved. In particular regional and rural customers have benefited from the establishment of Telstra CountryWide and the successful implementation of the Besley and Estens reports.
As the majority shareholder in Telstra, the Government wishes to thank Mr Mansfield for his strong leadership of Telstra over the past four years.
Media contacts:
Carina Tan-Van Baren (Mr Williams) (02) 6277 7480/ 0439 425 373
David Wawn (Senator Minchin) (02) 6277 7400/ 0409 866 462