Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on this matter of public importance today on the issue of the National Broadband Network. It is another opportunity for the government to pursue our case of the importance of the National Broadband Network for Australia’s future economic prosperity. We had today an extraordinary position whereby the Leader of the Opposition moved that the government immediately publish the NBN business case. He did that as if he were asking that a motion at some branch meeting be tabled. He did that as if there were no consequences for the shareholders of various telecommunications companies, of which of course the largest is Telstra, with 1.4 million shareholders. He did that as if there were no consequence or concern that might be there about commercially sensitive information and whether that should be made available or not. It might be just one of those political things—argy-bargy where you have one side against the other—were it not that this is actually the alternative government of the nation. Rather than act responsibly, the alternative government of the nation is prepared to do anything and say anything in order to try to secure a political point.

The proposer of this MPI today played up his business experience. It is true: he is an experienced and successful businessman. He knows full well that the idea that you just publish a 400-plus-page business case without any regard whatsoever for the commercial implications of that is simply not tenable. He would not have done it in any of the businesses in which he was involved.

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