Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will address that interjection. I speak today on the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Access Regime and NBN Companies) Bill 2015. What an absolutely fascinating speech that was from the member for Hunter! Prior to that speech, the contribution to the debate in this parliament by the member for Hunter had only been a fleeting one, across four speeches, with no detail or substance—the man who purports to stand up for his electorate. I would also remind the House that, prior to the 2007 election, the coalition government were putting into plan a system called OPEL, which would have provided high-speed broadband wireless across most of our nation at a cost of less than $1 billion.

One of the first things that the Labor government did, supported by the member for Hunter, was to abolish that. Then they rolled out the NBN broadband, which was, originally, about a $5 billion program, and then it just went up tenfold and more, and delivered nothing. So the question that the member for Hunter should ask himself and actually explain to his constituents is, indeed, particularly through the actions of the former member for Newcastle: given the NBN plan was their design, given they championed it so much, given they went to two elections pushing and promoting, what was the rollout in their electorate? I have to say that it was virtually nothing. In fact, this is the opposition that, when in government, wanted to provide the satellite services and did not even provide sufficient capacity for regional and rural Australians that we hear the member for Hunter standing up and wanting to represent so much. They could not even put enough capacity on the satellite, and it took the coalition government's actions to put into place a second satellite to carry the load.

The other thing I would remind the House about is how the former Labor government would approach the NBN rollout. They put out all these glorious sheets about build commence and what would happen in each area, when the reality was: it was only bit of paper and there was no action. By contrast, the coalition has implemented a policy and a plan that mean, when a build commence date comes, that is when the build commence happens.

I will go through and highlight to the House some areas, and, in particular, areas that are currently in the member for Hunter's seat and will soon come into the seat of Paterson. The fixed line build commencement date of October 2015 affected 7,180 households in Aberglasslyn, Ashtonfield, Bolwarra, Bolwarra Heights, East Maitland, Gillieston Heights, Horseshoe Bend, Largs, Lorn, Louth Park, Maitland, Metford, Mindaribba, Morpeth, Oakhampton, Pitnacree, Raworth, Rutherford, South Maitland, Telarah, Tenambit and Windella. In the second half of 2017 the commitment is to commence the rollout in Abermain, Cliftleigh, Heddon Greta, Kurri Kurri, Neath, Pelaw Main, Stanford Merthyr and Weston. In Newcastle, in the fourth quarter of 2016 the build commence will go through Beresfield, Chisholm, Hexham, Tarro, Thornton, Woodberry, Fern Bay, Fullerton Cove, Kooragang and Stockton.

In my electorate, in the second half of 2017, the build commence will occur in Lemon Tree Passage, Mallabula, Medowie, Salt Ash and Tanilba Bay. In the third quarter of this year, it will go through Ferodale, Heatherbrae, Raymond Terrace and Tomago. And of course in December 2015 the build commence for fixed line happened in Anna Bay, Boat Harbour, Corlette, Fingal Bay, Fishermans Bay, Nelson Bay, One Mile, Salamander Bay, Shoal Bay, Soldiers Point and Taylors Beach. Of course, there have been massive rollouts of the fixed wireless system. In October 2015 areas such as Buchanan, Hexham, Lenaghan, Raymond Terrace, Sawyers Gully and Telarah received that. In the first quarter of 2017 the build commence will occur for the fixed wireless in Anna Bay, Fullerton Bay and Salt Ash.

That is a definite plan. But I can remember being in this House in 2005-06 and raising the issue of Thornton, which was not in my electorate—it was across the road from my electorate—and how they were on pair gain copper and could not get ADSL. The then member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, campaigning in that election, said, 'It's got to be fixed. It's an urgent priority.' Well, guess what. Through the inception of the NBN rollout plan, through six years of Labor government, nothing was done in Thornton—absolutely nothing. The member for Hunter comes in here and complains about it not happening. I would ask him to be accountable for his plan, his six years of inactivity, his six years of failed representation of the people that he seeks to represent.

But then again, we know how he fails to represent people, because he has just taken the easy option. He lost half of his seat of Hunter to the seat of Paterson but, rather than standing up and having a fight in a marginal seat campaign, he wanted the safer option—a safe seat—and he has been locked in by the executive of the Labor Party to the seat of Hunter. He might make words upon the floor of this parliament about his ability to stand up and fight, but when it comes to the street, let me tell you, he put on that yellow coat and ran. He did not want to take me on. He ran away. He has got no guts for a marginal seat fight. He just wanted that safe haven that he has always been used to. He has never had to fight a marginal seat campaign in his life. He has never been committed to delivering anything for his constituents. So don't you come in here and lecture me, Member for Hunter, because at the end of the day you lack the intestinal fortitude, the backbone, to stand up for your constituents and fight the fight.

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