Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In 2013, the Prime Minister promised every Australian household would have access to the NBN by the end of this year. Is the Prime Minister at all concerned that, to deliver on his promise, he has to connect 7.8 million premises in the next 37 days? Or does he have such a high opinion of his talents that he considers it a breeze to connect 210,000 premises per day? That is over 8,000 premises per hour, or 140 premises per minute.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. The honourable member will recall that, at the time we inherited the NBN from her government, only 51,000 premises had been activated in six years of Labor government. In the last four weeks, nearly 90,000 premises were activated. We are activating nearly twice as many premises every four weeks as the Labor Party did in its entire six-year term in government. That is the difference. We are getting on with the job and we are building the NBN. There are 3½ million premises that can get it now, and about 1½ million—or somewhat more, in fact—are actually connected and activated. It is meeting its targets and it is beating them. But the Labor Party is relentless in its desire to mislead and spread falsehoods about the NBN.

Ms Rowland interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Greenway.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let's look at this. Let's look at what the Leader of the Opposition said today in a considered ministerial statement. He said:

… after insisting that the government's funding contribution was capped, the Liberals have been forced to step in with a $19.5 billion loan to complete the rollout …

Ever since the first corporate plan since the election, ever since the first strategic review of Labor's NBN it has always been clear that the NBN would have to borrow a substantial amount of money to complete the project. It was always clear. And it was always clear that the $29½ billion commitment was for equity—that is, to buy shares in the company, for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition, as distinct from borrowing money. So it has been perfectly clear for years and years that the government was going to have to provide a loan, or a loan would be given from third parties, to the NBN Co to complete the rollout. That was always clear.

But, you see, the Leader of the Opposition is so dishonest that he is prepared to stand up and read a speech and say 'after insisting the government's funding contribution was capped'—that is not the case. We said the equity contribution was capped, and it is. We were always going to need to borrow money. He knew that, everybody knew that. And he says we have been forced to step in. He has deliberately misled on this matter. He knows what the facts are—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He has no regard for the truth.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Prime Minister needs—

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

The member for Gorton can withdraw from the chamber now under 94(a). I am not going to keep calling him.

The member for Gorton then left the chamber.

I know why the Manager of Opposition Business rose on his feet. The Prime Minister needs to withdraw 'deliberately misled'. The word 'deliberately misled' can only be by a substantive motion. It is the word 'deliberate' that is the problem.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, thank you, Mr Speaker. I withdraw that, but the fact of the matter is—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister—

Opposition members interjecting—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All right.