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

I thank Senator Bilyk for her question and her interest in the NBN. The National Broadband Network is generating new jobs and new investment in our economy. NBN Co. has awarded contracts worth more than $2 billion to companies operating in Australia that provide equipment for NBN installation in homes and businesses.

Prysmian, Corning and Warren & Brown are just three examples of the new investments and job opportunities flowing from the National Broadband Network. Last week I visited the Prysmian plant at Dee Why on Sydney's northern beaches. Prysmian has invested more than $11 million to manufacture the specialised ribbon fibreoptic cables being used for the NBN—one of those you can see here. There are 576 fibres in that cable. The five-year contract ensures job certainty for the 125 Dee Why staff, and up to 50 new local jobs will also be created.

In May I visited the expanded Corning facility in Clayton, Victoria, where they will manufacture optical fibre cable and hardware. This company is investing up to $40 million in its Clayton operations, adding around 300 to 400 new jobs during the peak of the NBN rollout. Warren & Brown Technologies have been awarded contracts for fibre wall outlets and other equipment. The NBN contracts have resulted in 40 new jobs in their state-of-the-art facility in Maidstone, Melbourne.