Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Why is the National Broadband Network important for productivity in the future of our economy?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Throsby for his very important question, because the NBN is absolutely critical to driving productivity and innovation in our economy and to providing basic services to all parts of the country at an affordable price. As I travel around this vast country and around the regional areas in particular, I find that they understand the importance of the National Broadband Network. When you go to Mackay, to Rockhampton, to Tasmania and to Western Australia, you find that regional Australians understand the importance of the National Broadband Network to their capacity, in particular, to do business and to be joined up to the national economy and the international economy. The NBN is a very important way of driving economic prosperity. It is a wholesale network and that is why, as the Prime Minister said before, it will drive competition amongst retailers and, because it will do that, it will drive prices down over time. That is recognised quite generally. For example, it is recognised by the Chairman of the ACCC, who has described the NBN as ‘the most significant pro-competitive stance we have ever taken in this area of telecommunications’.

It has been a dream of economic reformers to achieve structural separation and it is incredible that, in this House, the Liberal Party could now be opposing structural separation. That is why the member for Wentworth is such a hypocrite: he is prepared to make a quid out of it but he is also prepared to come into this House and oppose the structural separation of Telstra. Nothing demonstrates more the hypocrisy of those opposite on this question than the position of the member for Wentworth, who absolutely understands the importance of the NBN to economic growth, to competition and to people living in regional Australia. Of course he has been given his instructions to come into this House and demolish it, but he is still happy to make a quid out of it. Nothing demonstrates more the fact that those opposite are on about short-term political advantage, not long-term advantage. They would rather see the government fail than see the country succeed. They would rather tear the economy down than build it up. We on this side of the House are nation builders and we understand the importance of this vital enabling technology. We have had an extensive examination of the NBN. We had a committee of experts who said there was no private-sector proposal that delivered value for money. We have had a detailed implementation study, and now we are preparing a business case that those opposite say they will not accept in the first place, because they are concerned with politics not the long-term national interest.

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to her statement during the election campaign that she opposed increases in the age pension in Cabinet because, and I quote: ‘We are talking about expenditure of more than $50 billion over the next 10 years. That’s a lot of money.’ Why is the Prime Minister rushing to spend $43 billion on an NBN without releasing its business plan when she was more than happy last year to veto a similar amount for struggling pensioners? Isn’t the Prime Minister’s double standard proof that this government has lost its way?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and, first and foremost, the assertions in it are wholly untrue; second, this is the government that delivered a historic increase in pensions to Australian pensioners, and we are proud we did. The member who asked the question might want to reflect on why he is a supporter of a political party that was in office for almost 12 years and never delivered a pension increase of that magnitude. We will be very, very happy to receive his congratulations for having provided that increase to pensioners. We thought it was the right thing to do, and we did it.

On the National Broadband Network, we also believe this is the right thing to do. Yes, we are being careful and methodical and diligent and prudent every step of the way as befits a government that is governing in the national interest. That is why the National Broadband Network has been the subject of reports and studies commissioned by the government and is also the subject of investigations by various parliamentary committees at various stages, including particularly in the Senate. So I would say to the member opposite that at some point he needs to think for himself and work this out: is he going to follow the Leader of the Opposition down a path of political destruction and demolish the NBN, or is he going to come into this parliament and stand up for his constituents, stand up for their ability to have superfast broadband, stand up for their ability to be participants in an economy that will have the additional productivity and prosperity that broadband will bring and stand up for their ability to get the healthcare and education services of the future because of the existence of the National Broadband Network? I understand he is a new member and obviously would still be thinking about these questions, but I am confident that, if he thinks about them seriously, he will come to one conclusion, which is that he should support the National Broadband Network.