Stephen Conroy is having a “hissy fit” over The Australian’s rigour in examining the rollout of the $43 billion NBN, according to the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Chris Mitchell.

The Communications Minister has accused The Australian of having a “tantrum” over the result of the federal election and of wanting to destroy the National Broadband Network “because it was an important factor in us winning government”.

He also told a Senate hearing this week that the newspaper was campaigning for “regime change”.

Mitchell said today: “The only hissy fit I see is from Mr Conroy.

“His regime change comment is an amusing foreign policy reference, given good public policy is foreign to Mr Conroy.”

On ABC TV’s Lateline last night, Senator Conroy told host Tony Jones the newspaper’s coverage did not meet “any journalistic balance, it doesn’t meet any journalistic accountability”.

He thought the newspaper was “losing its way”.

But The Australian’s editor Paul Whittaker told 2GB’s Ray Hadley earlier today that Senator Conroy’s claims were ludicrous and typical of governments not enjoying media scrutiny.

“We make no apology for it,” Whittaker said, noting it was The Australian that led the coverage on the rorts associated with the $16.2 billion Building the Education Revolution.

“When we first asked questions about the BER a year and a half ago we were attacked by the government and others and others in the media initially for asking those questions,” Whittaker said.

“Ultimately a $14 million inquiry was called and it ultimately bore out what The Australian had said for many months.”

He added there had been serious shortcomings in the insulation program and the BER and the newspaper was asking of the NBN rollout “questions that ordinary people are asking about how this will work”.

(Source: TheAustralian.com.au)