Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question, and I congratulate him on his election and his very fine maiden speech. During the six years of the Labor government, Australia's standing on any international broadband measure went backwards. There was rhetoric, billions of dollars spent and virtually nothing achieved of substance. As of September, under Labor, the NBN had passed a total of only 384,000 homes and businesses, including those supplied by satellite and wireless. This is barely three per cent of the 13 million premises it must reach to complete the project. It is 45 per cent of the forecast for September in the NBN Co.'s latest corporate plan, and it is one million premises behind Prime Minister Gillard's rollout announcement in December 2010. That meant that the rollout would not be completed until 2024, 3½ years later than stated under the latest corporate plan, six years later than originally promised in Labor's plan in 2009 and—wait for it—11 years later than the Australian public were originally promised by Kevin Rudd in 2007. And, as the Treasurer has observed, there is $29 billion more to be spent.

Ms Claydon interjecting—

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