Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. I refer the minister to the fact that as of 31 October last year the NBN Co had a monthly wage bill of $1½ million for 46 employees, meaning that the average annual wage is around $391,000, or $40,000 more than that of the Prime Minister. Given that this government owned company which has no customers, no revenues and is entirely taxpayer funded now has some 112 employees, will the minister confirm that the monthly wage bill now exceeds no less than $3½ million per month?

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

I am glad that Senator Minchin is able to read out the answer to a question; we provided the information to him. If you are seeking—and I was not quite sure about what your question was seeking—the latest information, I am happy to get that for you. I do not have it handy, but I am happy to get for you any information once I have it.

Let me be very clear about the role of NBN: it is a start-up company that started from zero employees less than a year ago and has been working incredibly hard to deliver on the government’s policy agenda—that is, to deliver broadband to every Australian after the disgraceful state of broadband in this country left by those opposite after 11½ years. There were 18 failed broadband plans, and the last of those failed broadband plans in fact did not have a cost-benefit analysis attached to it. The OPEL project had no cost-benefit analysis behind it whatsoever; it was $1 billion given to one company after the goalposts were moved. Let us be very clear: there was no cost-benefit analysis and at the same time those opposite were actually engaged in requests for tender on a fibre process in the main capital cities. There was no cost-benefit analysis done before they started a process themselves. So, for those opposite to come in here and start attacking the employees of the National Broadband Network as if they are not doing anything, is grossly unfair and should be seen for what it is: an opposition bereft of a policy. (Time expired)

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The minister yesterday publicly confirmed that approximately 40 per cent of NBN Co’s employees were hired without interview and without the jobs being publicly advertised and were employed solely on word of mouth. Minister, how can such exorbitant salaries as $450,000 for Labor associate Mike Kaiser be justified when so many positions are not advertised and so many employees do not even have an interview before appointment?

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

I am very pleased that Senator Minchin was actually awake at Senate estimates when Mr Quigley gave him that information. Senator Minchin did say, ‘Go away and check it and come back,’ but Mr Quigley gave him that information at Senate estimates while you were there as part of the questioning.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy, just address the chair.

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

I am perfectly comfortable supporting and defending the practices of NBN, because, despite the hysterical campaign being run by those opposite, NBN is getting on with the job. We do not have the situation where NBN has sacked somebody, given them their termination payment and then—like Senator Minchin did—intervened, gone to the chairman of Telstra, Mr McGauchie, demanded that his mate John Short be put back on the payroll and Mr Shaw been put back on the payroll for $400,000 after he had been terminated by Telstra. That is exactly what happened under the previous government. Mr Quilty— (Time expired)

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. In addition to this exorbitant wage bill, will the minister confirm that NBN Co’s executives are now occupying prime office space in Melbourne Central luxury skyscrapers at an above-average rate of more than $500 per square metre? How much of taxpayers money will be spent by this company before a single new service is even, if ever, delivered?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister for good times.

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

I note that Senator Minchin chooses to ignore and does not want to talk about the fact that Tasmania, the home state of Senator Abetz and others interjecting, is going to be receiving services from the National Broadband Network in just a few months. So to try to suggest that there is no progress and there are no services being delivered is simply untrue. In Tasmania services will be delivered on time, as announced late last year.

As for the question of the rental in Melbourne, I have seen a newspaper report on that and I am happy to come back with any information that is relevant for Senator Minchin on that. But let me be clear: to suggest that the National Broadband Network is going to deliver no services is just untrue. (Time expired)

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Time for debating is at the end of question time.