FED:Govt feud blamed for botched tender

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2011
FED:Govt feud blamed for botched tender

CANBERRA, Dec 6 AAP - The federal opposition has blamed "bitter antagonism" between
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her predecessor Kevin Rudd for the botched Australia
Network tender.

The government, late on Monday, announced it would permanently award the $223 million
contract to the ABC, ending a bid by Sky News.

The commercial broadcaster has flagged it will seek compensation for taking part in
the scuttled tender process.

Sky and the ABC both bid for the 10-year contract to broadcast the network to 44 nations
in Asia and the Pacific.

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull was scathing of the tender process.

"These guys couldn't run a chook raffle," he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.

"This is a government with poison at its core because of the deep bitter antagonism
between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard."

The way the tender was handled is being investigated by the Commonwealth auditor-general
while the Australian Federal Police is investigating leaks which the government has blamed
for the process being abandoned.

"This is a shambles, this is no way to run a government," Mr Turnbull said.

An evaluation board reportedly twice recommended Sky be awarded the contract.

The ABC's contract to run the network expires in August 2012.

Responsibility for the decision was transferred from the remit of Foreign Minister
Kevin Rudd to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy in June.

Senator Conroy said the government had hoped the tender process would have been completed
in good faith but the leaks had compromised the process.

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