Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate requires the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee to meet on 10 April 2018, from 2 pm to 4 pm, in Canberra, to further consider the 2017-18 additional estimates in the Communications and Arts portfolio, and the NBNCo, and that the Minister for Communications and the Minister for the Arts (Senator Fifield) be in attendance, as well as Mr Morrow, Mr Rue, Mr McInerney, Mr Ryan and Ms Lovell from NBNCo.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

NBN executives welcome public and parliamentary scrutiny of this critical infrastructure project and have always willingly participated in all committee hearings. This motion is entirely unnecessary and wrongly attempts to cast doubt on the minister's and NBN's preparedness to attend a spillover hearing from the environment and communications additional estimates hearing in February this year. In fact, the Minister for Communications and the Arts, the chief executive officer of NBN Co and two additional senior NBN executives have already agreed to attend the hearing scheduled for Tuesday, 10 April in Canberra, which is the subject of this very motion. Throughout 2017, at least three senior NBN executives appeared frequently at Senate committee hearings, including at an additional estimates hearing in February, a spillover hearing in March, budget estimates in May, another spillover hearing in June, supplementary budget estimates in October and yet another spillover hearing in November.

Question agreed to.