152/07

Thursday 20 September 2007

Utting’s website confirms link with Telstra

The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator the Hon Helen Coonan today confirmed the link between Telstra and John Utting, Labor’s pollster.

“In the Senate chamber yesterday I said ‘We all know that Telstra have John Utting, Labor’s pollster, on their payroll’.

“This morning I received letters from Mr John Utting, Managing Director of UMR Research and Telstra’s Phil Burgess asserting that Mr Utting has no current financial relationship with Telstra.

“However a search of the URM Research website today claims that over the past few years UMR has worked with a wide range of clients across Australian and New Zealand. In the recent client list is none other than Telstra,” Senator Coonan said.

“This further evidence is unequivocal,” Senator Coonan said.

“If Telstra and Mr Utting have no financial relationship, it’s odd that Telstra is specifically listed as a recent client on UMR’s website, updated as recently as today.

“I also note the letter from Mr Burgess gave no assurances or guarantees that Telstra would not be meddling in the forthcoming election to try to secure a Labor victory,” Senator Coonan said.

Media Contact: Frank Peppard 0417 061 969