The line about Telstra (or the "Directors of Telstra" if they still want to go on with it) being responsible for disclosure and not the government and in fact the government being prohibited from pbutting on any information given to it by law will put a line under how much damage the "fair go on info" line can go.
The optimum position for the government is to have the actual business sorted and in good shape as being accepted as reality.
It's vulnerable if it can't deliver that.
It needs to refute the argument that Telstra has problems.
If it can't do that "See privatisation stuffs things up" and "Extremist" and "Obsession" and in the end "Management" will be in issue.
The line "Telstra management runs Telstra, not the government, and the idea that the government somehow runs Telstra, the second largest company in Australia" identifies and counters that risk.
Politically the high ground from here would be your plan for the and all the rest of it are vulnerable" - is now locked in or lockable in.
You might call it:
"Cables, Towers, Satellites, and Service" for example.
Sounds practical, sounds infrastructure, has the end point of what it delivers "Service".
The greatest risk to Howard is his statement effectively that T2 was a good buy. On film.
The greatest risk to whoever wants to tag their face to the issue in Labor is Telstra = Tax Cuts. They're a money hungry mob. % Mum and Dad T2 owners V All Voters ??? You do the sums.
It's all just my guess of course. Tell me I'm wrong and why.
