Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. I refer to what the Prime Minister described yesterday as ‘peak debt’ of $188 billion in 2012. Will the Prime Minister confirm that in calculating that debt there has been no provision for the funding of the $43 billion broadband network, the $28 billion investment in Ruddbank or the $300 billion defence build-up referred to in the white paper?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government’s planning for defence is fully accounted for in the government’s budget going forward and is consistent with the recommendations contained in the defence white paper. On the question of the Australian Business Investment Partnership the honourable member would be aware that that matter currently lies before the parliament and has not yet passed. The provision for it is outlined in legislation which is before the Senate. As for the other element of the honourable gentleman’s question, which referred to the National Broadband Network, the equity injection into it is contained, again, in the budget papers. I would draw the honourable gentleman’s attention to the fact that at the time that we announced our plans for a national broadband network we indicated that we would consult with the private sector with a view to establishing appropriate levels of equity between the private sector and us in constructing a much needed national project.

I would also say to the honourable gentleman in answering the question that the reason the government has acted on a national broadband network is that for 12 years the opposition, the then government, did absolutely nothing when it came to national broadband. There they sat for 12 years, with the rest of the world skating by and leaving Australia in its wake, with no high-speed broadband across the country. They fiddled and they faddled and they did nothing, and they left people in regional Australia without effective broadband connection. We have taken a decisive course of action to embrace this challenge for the future and those opposite have simply squibbed it. We are proud of the fact that we are acting in the national interest in providing this much needed infrastructure for Australia for the future and supporting jobs, supporting small business for today and investing in infrastructure we need for tomorrow. The provisions are contained within the budget.