Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Let us just take that interjection. I remember back in 2003, when I was in the state government, we did a report on rural and regional telecommunications in Victoria. It is worth having a read. Have a read about what happened then. Even your coalition partners, the Nationals, were complaining. The Victorian Nationals were complaining that the Howard government failed to deliver telecommunications to regional areas. I tell you what, Bert, I will even give you a signed copy. I have plenty of them sitting around because I was actually part of that.

At the same time that we are delivering the NBN, other carping from over there comes from the member for Gilmore. The member for Gilmore does not tell her community that she does not want the NBN and that she does not think they deserve it, but, when it does come to her electorate, what does she do? She gets up in the House, in front of everyone, and says: 'They're digging up the nature strip. Who's going to reseed the grass in the nature strip?' You have to be absolutely kidding yourselves if you think that the biggest concern of the world is that the nature strip is getting dug up. But, again, you do not see her out there saying to her community, 'I'm voting against this; I don't want the NBN.' The fact of the matter is that every single bit of polling and all the questionnaires show that people desperately want it.

What I have found to be the biggest issue with the NBN is not getting it delivered quickly enough. In my electorate and everywhere else I go people say: 'We want this. When are we getting it?' That is one of the issues that the committee is dealing with at the moment. We are talking about Telstra workforce issues and about how we can get people out on the ground faster and quicker to get this out there, because getting enough people on the ground to put the cable into the pipes and the pits to get it to the homes as quickly as possible is the biggest shortfall we have.

Mr Van Manen interjecting—

We do use local businesses. The member opposite interjects but, again—

Mr Van Manen interjecting—

Stand on your credibility and we will watch you fall flat on your face.

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