Release of Telstra-NBN agreement in doubt

Telstra has cast fresh doubts over the anticipated release of its $11 billion heads of agreement with NBN Co in time for the telco's annual general meeting on Friday.

The telco had been expected by the Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to release the draft text of the agreement by November 19.

But Telstra has never formally commented on a release schedule – and time was running out for the alleged commitment to be met.

"Telstra has not committed to release the full draft agreement," a spokesman for the telco told iTnews today.

The telco has also pushed back the timeline to seek shareholder approval on the deal to "late June 2011", several months later than first anticipated.

Even without the release of the draft agreement, Friday was shaping as potentially a big day for the release of documents relating to the National Broadband Network.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has indicated his party will seek to force the Government to release the NBN Co business plan and the Government's response to the $25m NBN implementation study using Senate processes.

"We'll be demanding that the Minister [Stephen Conroy] table both of those documents before the end of this week," Ludlam told the ABC's AM program yesterday.