Andrew Macintosh and Debra Wilkinson argue that the deal agreed by the National Party in return for its support for the sale of Telstra is remarkably similar to the deal made between the Australian Democrats and the Howard government over the Goods and Services Tax. That experience suggests that the Nationals' Telstra agreement is likely to fail to protect the interests of rural and regional Australians and disappoint those in the National Party who believe it could protect them from an electoral backlash. A summary only of this report is available online.