Huawei's hopes for a reprieve from its ban from tendering for Australian NBN tenders may have been quashed almost as soon as they were raised.
New prime minister Tony Abbott has reportedly written a letter to his opposition counterpart stating that Huawei will not be involved in the NBN rollout.
Days earlier, communications minister Malcolm Turnbull raised the prospect of reviewing the ban imposed by the former Labor government, calling Huawei a “very credible business.”
But not long after his comments, other members of Abbott's cabinet painted a different picture. Attorney General George Brandis told The Australian Financial Review that the government had considered the matter, and will not be dropping the ban at this stage.
Treasurer Joe Hockey has also publicly commented that he sees no way that Huawei would be allowed to invest in the NBN.
The Chinese government has meanwhile criticized the decision to uphold the ban, while Huawei has announced that it understands that no decision has yet been made, suggesting it still believes the door is open to overturning it.
The Labor government imposed the ban last year, citing national security recommendations from Australia's intelligence agencies.