Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her ongoing interest in this issue. I am aware Mr Quigley appeared—and you may even have been present—when there were a number of discussions around the enterprise bargaining agreements that have now been signed and agreed to between the workforce and NBN Co. There are agreements in place based on all the normal principles. I am a little confused when you talk about a blow-out. There is an EBA in place; it covers all of those things. There are no individual contracts for the workforce.

Overall, I believe that the answer will be no, there is no blow-out in wages costs because we have an agreed set of EBA principles. They have now been signed and agreed by the ACTU, coordinating right through with the CEPU and a range of other unions that have been involved in these discussions, and I have been kept reasonably abreast of the issues as they have evolved. These were handled at arm’s length. They have been signed off and agreed and there is no suggestion at all that there would be a wages blow-out. I think that it is a fantasy of those opposite who simply hope that these things will happen, because they just cannot understand why those residents in Willunga are going to get access to fibre optics. I picked Willunga, Mr President, because the good senator who asked the question is from South Australia, and the 84 per cent of people in a small country town like Willunga who want fibre optics. (Time expired)