Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the Prime Minister is responsible for the decision to abandon optical fibre and instead deploy a second-rate National Broadband Network (NBN),

(ii) NBN Co abandoned use of the Optus Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) infrastructure because it was deemed not fit for purpose,

(iii) NBN Co has announced the company will immediately halt the HFC rollout because the technology is delivering poor service quality,

(iv) NBN Co has indicated up to 2 million homes could have their NBN connection delayed by 6 to 9 months because of the mismanagement of the HFC rollout, and

(v) it is nearly 2018 and the NBN still does not work properly; and

(b) calls on the Minister for Communications to:

(i) stop attacking the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and instead focus on making the NBN work, and

(ii) apologise to the 48 000 households and small businesses in the electorate of Bennelong who are currently scheduled to be served by the unreliable HFC network.

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.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) 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

Labor's fibre fantasy has been discredited time and time again. Under the success of the coalition's multitechnology mix, Australians will receive the NBN six to eight years sooner than they would have under Labor and at $30 billion less cost. HFC is already delivering broadband speeds of 100 megabytes per second and will, in future, be capable of delivering one gigabyte per second—the same speed as Labor's gold-plated fibre network but at dramatically less cost.

Under Labor's NBN rollout plan, people living in Bennelong would have been waiting until the middle of the next decade for the network. During six years of Labor government, precisely zero premises in Bennelong were connected to the NBN. If anyone owes an apology to the people of Bennelong, it's Labor.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After that terrible dig at the people of Bennelong, they know they've been sold a pup by this government. The NBN has delivered primarily HFC into that electorate. We know that that is a failing technology—a technology that was determined as appropriate for the Australian people by Mr Turnbull himself when he was the Minister for Communications. He has inflicted a failing technology into the seat of Bennelong. As we hear, it's the centre of significant innovation through Macquarie University in that hub. That whole area is now compromised because of the decision of this government to give a second-rate, failing NBN to Australia. The Prime Minister is responsible for the decision. The NBN have abandoned the Optus HFC. Now they've had to abandon the technology itself, which is leaking information left, right and centre. This is a shemozzle from go to whoa. The minute Malcolm got his hands on it, Australians got sold a lemon of an NBN.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that notice of motion No. 622 be agreed to.