Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

It certainly is about the NBN. On this point, we even had the Prime Minister giving us one of his pompous little lectures today about how we need to lift this place. We need to rise above politics in this place. And he said that on the first day that he came in.

Well, here is an interesting story: last night, I received an invitation from NBN Co to meet the team and learn about Australia's broadband network. It was on for two hours last night. The invitation did not say anything partisan. I was getting ready to go down and rang a few of my colleagues and said, 'Are you going down?' They said, 'We've just come back.' I said, 'Why?' They said, 'It is a waste of time.' It got hijacked by the Prime Minister, who just gave a rant about Stephen Conroy. It was a totally un-prime ministerial little session, a little display of what he really is. It just shows you that he is just as much a pugilist as the bloke he knifed—just as much a pugilist! Let's have a look at one of these Twitter exchanges. It is pretty typical to form. This is a good one from March last year. This person says:

Bought a house in Ocean Grove. No NBN. No Cable. No ADSL 2 or 1. Back to the dongle.

Malcolm Turnbull replied:

… just curious:- if connectivity was so vital to you why did you buy a house where there was no broadband available?

Lifestyle choices! When you hear this Prime Minister, he always talks about his experiences. For the last five years, especially when we were in government, you would be debating this bloke and he would always talk about—he is a big namedropper: 'Yes, I was having a brandy with Rupert the other day.' He never ever talks about consumers. But I tell you the consumers who should be concerned, Mr Deputy Speaker Bruce Scott—I know you will be very alive to this. It is the Nationals, the bush, because they have been sold out again by this Minister for Communications. Not only has he absolutely put an axe to universal wholesale pricing in a very sneaky way—

Government members interjecting—

You do not need to take it from me. Have a look at Nationals' Senator Barry O'Sullivan here in Queensland Country Life:

SPARKS are flying within the coalition as fiery Nationals senator Barry O'Sullivan takes aim at the Federal Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull for subjecting rural communities to "third world" services.

        …         …         …

"It's a shame on our nation," Mr O'Sullivan said.

"I'm embarrassed to be part of a party whose government would allow this to continue.

"I think Malcolm should roll his swag out and run his ministry from out here for a month and then I think Malcolm will change his opinion.

But we know that this is a government that said, when it was in opposition, of these long-term satellites: 'Rolls-Royce! Just get NewSat to do it'—NewSat, which has gone into administration, by the way—but now it is saying that the satellites are going to be a game changer. I know the Deputy Speaker is the member for Maranoa, the area that was promised, on handshake, by the last Prime Minister to get fibre optic cable.

Mr Frydenberg interjecting—

I am reflecting on the former minister in this area and on his failure to deliver for the bush! (Time expired)

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