Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Senator Fifield. Can the minister outline the coalition's plan to deliver better broadband for all Australians by 2020?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Brockman for his question. I'm sure that all colleagues will be absolutely delighted that the NBN continues to hit its milestones. It's on its way to being completed by 2020, on time and on budget. I might remind you that, just two years ago, when we released a three-year plan to reach three-quarters of Australians by mid 2018, the plan was derided by the then shadow minister for communications as a ramp that even Evil Knievel couldn't jump. But I am very pleased to be able to report to colleagues that what some said was impossible has indeed been achieved, with six million premises now ready for service across the nation with the NBN. The NBN is now being switched on at a rate of 1,000 premises every working hour, week in, week out. Behind the rollout stats there is literally an army of skilled field technicians, mum-and-dad contracting businesses and NBN's own project managers, engineers, and technical specialists who are making this network a reality. None of us should underestimate the scale and the challenge of this project. The field workforce now exceeds 24,000 personnel, and there are some 2,500 Australian subcontracting businesses engaged either directly or indirectly to roll out the NBN. Then there are the vendors who provide the cabinets, the fibre, the electronics, the cables, the termination devices and all the other equipment. All in all, NBN will spend $6 billion this financial year procuring goods, 80 per cent of them locally.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brockman, a supplementary question.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister, for that very comprehensive answer. Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Usually in response to such a question, a minister will say yes. I have to answer honestly: on this occasion, I'm not too sure. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow minister can't seem to settle on what their NBN policy is. One day their policy is fibre to the premises; the next day it's fibre to the curb. On 23 July Michelle Rowland announced that Labor's policy was fibre to the curb, but then on 25 July she said that fibre to the curb isn't Labor policy. She's also claimed that NBN's decision to adopt fibre to the curb in some places proves beyond doubt that the copper age is dead. I point out something to her: with fibre to the curb, you still have copper. That is something that even the Leader of the Opposition recognises and realises.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brockman, a final supplementary question.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise how the coalition's record of rolling out the NBN compares to Labor's record?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a stark contrast. Let's take, for instance, former Senator Conroy's pledge in April 2009 when he said that fibre-to-the-premises NBN would be finished by 2018 or Senator Conroy's claim in 2010 that the cost of connecting fibre to 93 per cent of homes and businesses wouldn't exceed $43 billion. Fast forward to 2013 and, after more than $11 billion had been committed by Labor, only 51,000 premises were connected. Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, in 2010, said that 1.3 million premises would be able to connect to the NBN fibre network by June 2013. In June 2013, was it 1.3 million premises? No. The actual result was 35,000—just a slight shortfall! The record of the coalition is a good one. We're getting the NBN built.