Senate debates

Thursday, 18 November 2010

Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers

Broadband

3:14 pm

Photo of Mathias CormannMathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

About two weeks after the last election our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, was a very relieved lady. She was very relieved because somehow she had been able to scrape back in. She had been able to hold on to that seat of power. No doubt inspired by that relief she made the promise of a new era of openness and transparency in government. She was going to let the sunlight in. But what have we had? We have had a Prime Minister who has taken Australia to where the sun does not shine. We have a Prime Minister who is not committed to letting the sunlight get in. We have a Prime Minister who leads the most secretive government in the history of the Commonwealth. We have a government that is always desperate to cover up yet another example of incompetence, waste and mismanagement, and which is always bending over backwards to make sure that the Australian people do not get an understanding of what they are actually up to. This government does not want to let any sunlight in. This government wants to lock us all up in a small dark room and let no daylight in whatsoever.

We have had order after order of the Senate seeking information in relation to the NBN—and not just seeking information but directing the government to provide the information to the Senate so that the Senate can make appropriate decisions and appropriately scrutinise what the government is proposing. If it is such a good deal—if this NBN is such a good program—why would the government not come forward with that information? What have they got to hide?

Of course we are talking about 43 billion taxpayer dollars that are to be spent on a program with very questionable merits—to be very generous in my description of it. We are talking about 43 billion taxpayer dollars, potentially. Up to $43 billion—

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