Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

If those on the other side are eager to hear it, I suggest that they stop interjecting. At the moment, telesurgery is experimental, but the concept has been proven overseas and could become a reality in the near future. The competitiveness of local businesses is also a compelling argument for higher broadband speeds—and I would have thought that that would be of interest to those on the other side, too. If someone wanted to run a data-intensive business such as digital broadcasting or a retail warehouse for downloadable content, they would have difficulty getting the bandwidth without a dedicated link. Imagine if an Australian entrepreneur could run their own multichannel digital broadcasting service from home.

What will the capability of the NBN do to our economy? When the telephone was invented, Alexander Graham Bell imagined that there would be ‘one in each city so great men can talk to one another’. But now most people have a telephone in their pocket. Those on the other side who constantly harp and do not want to pursue a relevant future for Australia should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. The economic potential of the NBN is undreamed of; the mind boggles just at the thought of it.

The opposition have made it clear that they have already made up their minds against the NBN without having read or accepted a briefing on the business case. The opposition talk about transparency. The opposition are as transparent as crystal clear Tasmanian water: we can all see that they are trying to delay, spin and frustrate the project for petty political reasons. They just want to bulldoze the NBN. It is all petty politics with them. If the Liberals and Nationals are serious about ensuring Australians have access to world-class telecommunications infrastructure and the resulting health, economic and educational benefits then they would support the NBN rollout. In fact, if they were really serious they would have done it in their 11 or 12 years in government. But what did they do? They did nothing. They came up with 20 plans but no action. And what are they planning to do in the future. I presume they will continue to do nothing

I know Mr Abbott is not the most technologically literate of men, but when he told Malcolm Turnbull to ‘demolish the NBN’, why did he hand him a pickaxe and a hard hat? Malcolm Turnbull has stated publicly that the opposition will not support the NBN even if a cost-benefit analysis proved the project’s benefits to Australia. That just demonstrates that the coalition oppose this project for opposition’s sake. All their talk about transparency is a ruse; it is nothing but a convenient excuse. The truth is that they would deny Australia the economic potential of this project because they failed to think of it themselves. They hate to see this government taking the lead on broadband, just as we did with other nation-building projects such as compulsory superannuation and Medicare.

There have already been extensive reports written about the NBN, including five Senate committee reports and the McKinsey-KPMG implementation study, and numerous Senate estimates appearances by the NBN Co. CEO, Mike Quigley. The implementation study has already confirmed that the NBN will generate a six to seven per cent return and the government will fully recover its costs, including interest on borrowings—and that is before we even consider the economic and social benefits of the network. There have also been studies into the benefits of broadband by the OECD, Access Economics and IBM. The business plan will be released once commercial-in-confidence material is removed.

If those opposite are so concerned about transparency and due process, let us have a look at what they did in government. In 2007, John Howard’s $10 billion National Water Plan went to the Department of Finance and Administration just days before it was announced. Finance officials were yet to sign off on it before it went through the cabinet. In fact the department secretary, Ian Watt, was asked to ‘run an eye lightly over the costings’ before John Howard’s announcement. That is what happened when you mob were in government, so do not talk to us about accountability and transparency.

The business plan for the NBN will be released in due course, as we have said I do not know how many times on this side of the chamber. In the meantime the opposition have the opportunity to avail themselves of a confidential briefing. If they are not going to take up that option then it just goes to show they are not interested in the information. In their usual arrogant way, they have already made their minds up and no amount of expert opinion is going to sway them.

But it does not really matter what they think. The Australian people know the benefits of this project and the difference it will make to their lives. They certainly know it in Tasmania, where the NBN is already being rolled out and customers are already connected. Tasmanians know what is good for them—just look at the results from the last federal election. If those opposite who are acting like Neolithic primates cannot see the value of optic-fibre broadband then maybe they should spend more time in their electorates talking to ordinary Australians and less time with their heads in the sand. This motion is just more bluster and hot air from an opposition that would not know one end of a laptop from the other.

To reiterate, this is just another delaying tactic from those on the other side. They are just trying to frighten people. First of all, they called for a cost-benefit analysis. Then they introduced a private member’s bill. Then they wanted to set up a joint select committee. They are not even happy when a House of Representatives committee is set up—Senator Fisher was just complaining about that. As we know, they are going to oppose it anyway. Those on the other side are not committed to the future of Australia. They are not committed to innovation. They are certainly not committed to nation-building infrastructure. How can you do a cost-benefit analysis on technology that has not yet been thought of? Those on the other side are simply wreckers, opposing for opposition’s sake. They are trying to scare people by continuing along this line. They asked us question after question after question on the NBN. We keep giving them the answers; we keep telling them what is going to happen. They do not want to hear it. They just want to oppose, to be obstructionist. I suppose that is what you would expect from people in denial. They are yet to accept that they are on that side of the chamber.

If I can just talk about a letter from the NBN Co.—(Time expired)