Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

It is disappointing that you clearly have not read the entire speech—I can only encourage you to—because you would have seen that I was actually not referring to the equipment that would be put into individuals’ homes; what I was describing was the boxes on the end of the big, fat pipes. That is technical jargon, for those over there! So I was not actually referring to that equipment, but I am happy to answer questions about the pricing.

The government recognises that affordability is an important factor that will drive take-up of services on the NBN. NBN prices cannot be structured without considering the prices people pay today for comparable services. Pricing levels on the National Broadband Network will be a key issue considered in the implementation study, but let me take this opportunity to dispel a few myths. First, the NBN is a historic microeconomic reform. It is Australia’s first national wholesale-only open access network. It is important to remind those opposite of this because they shirked the tough decisions on this for 12 years and privatised Telstra without ever properly resolving it.

How does this relate to retail prices for consumers? No retail company will be able to control the network in its own interests. The discipline of genuine competitive pressure will drive lower prices, innovation and greater choice of services at price points. Retail companies—