Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm about to talk about the bill and why the bill has been brought forward and rushed in today, which is so the PM could stand there and talk about it right now. But, yesterday, when he came in at 7.59 pm, he didn't have support behind him. He was very happy to scurry in, but we had to rush the bill forward to create a distraction for the PM. We know from the words of the Minister for Communications herself that it is there to create a distraction. This is a complete stunt and a complete distraction. In her speech, she said the bill does 'not change the operations of the NBN'. It's not going to make any changes to those members of my community that can't access the NBN. It's not going to make any changes to the NBN for the victims of the June 2021 storms, who went months and months without their NBN, because the operation wasn't up to speed.

That's why the timing is relevant. There is nothing in this bill to improve the performance of the NBN. There is nothing in this bill to help the community of Casey in the Dandenong Ranges, in the Upper Yarra or in the Yarra Valley, which is struggling with its NBN. It's silence from the government on that, but they will rush this bill through so the Prime Minister can stand at the dispatch box and talk about his legacy and the NBN to distract from his disgraceful actions yesterday. That is why he was standing at that dispatch box. That is why this bill is being rushed through. It's pure politics and pure spin, because, in the minister's own words, this is not going to change the operation of the NBN.

In my community we know that the NBN is not delivering as it needs to. Just recently, at the Kalorama Chestnut Festival in the Dandenong Ranges, the NBN dropped out completely. No trader was able to use tap and go to collect money. Even worse than that was the danger created by phone communication not being accessible. The Dandenong Ranges is a dangerous area. It's a dangerous area for bushfires. It's a dangerous area, as we know, for storms. We've had three storm events in the last 18 months directly impacting the communications of our residents, including the NBN. It is an insult to my community that the government is rushing this bill through, even though, in the minister's own words, it will not change the operation of the NBN. It's all to give the PM a platform to distract from his actions yesterday. It's amazing that he can get everyone in the chamber today for his speech but he couldn't get anyone in the chamber last night when he came to apologise to those with disabilities and their families. It says a lot—who comes in when there's a stump speech to give and who turns up when there's an apology to give.

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