Mary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Deal or no deal? There is no deal yet. This deal with Telstra could take years to be signed and sealed. As to the delivery, that could be many, many years beyond that. What this announcement is clearly designed to do is mask the fact that there has not been one new megabit delivered under the Labor government’s National Broadband Network thus far. It is designed to obscure the fact that any new service is years and years away and it is designed to obscure the fact that the government cannot substantiate how much it would cost consumers to access the National Broadband Network if it were ever to come to be.

Where is the value for money for taxpayers when what we have and all we have—and the government’s announcement tries to stop us talking about this—is an implementation study based on certain assumptions? If those assumptions are proven true then the implementation study says that, in theory, the National Broadband Network can be built. But the implementation study is splendidly silent as to which of its assumptions in forecasting a profit for NBN Co. of between three per cent and nine per cent will actually come about. The implementation study does not predict whether it will be the profit assumption based on lower demand than predicted and cost blow-outs or the rosy prediction that results in a nine per cent profit.

The implementation study says that if the best of possible worlds unfolds then the NBN can be built. What the implementation study does not do is say when the government will respond to it. They have been silent on that as well thus far. I guess yesterday’s announcement was also designed to obscure that. What the implementation study does not, under any circumstances, do is a cost-benefit analysis. It does not show, even if this thing can be built, whether it should be built and whether it is for the public good. The government have steadfastly refused to do a cost-benefit analysis. What does the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy tell us? Mr Daryl Quinlivan has said, ‘What is the point of doing a cost-benefit analysis of a policy that the government has already decided to implement?’

NBN Co. is in the process of providing the government with its business case. Senator Conroy told us at committee hearings that, even once it is done, the Australian taxpayer cannot have a look at NBN Co.’s business case. He said:

You are not going to be privy to them today, tomorrow, or next week or after we receive the business plan.

That is pretty good for taxpayers looking to see what is proposed as the business plan underpinning a company essentially funded by them to deliver the government’s National Broadband Network!

Yesterday, we heard Minister Conroy try to say that this deal, which is not a deal, is value for money to the taxpayers. Minister Conroy tries to say it will save the taxpayers money, but when we ask ‘how much?’ he suggests that this information is commercial and in-confidence. What confidence can the taxpayer have that there would be any value for money for the Australian taxpayer in this deal were it ever to come to pass? Thus far, this is a government that demonstrates spectacular lack of value for money. Look no further than Building the Education Revolution. Why should Australian taxpayers be reassured by this minister suggesting that the information as to value for money is essentially commercial and in-confidence? It is: ‘We know; trust us; she’ll be right; you can’t see the figures.’ It is deal or no deal. Even if there be a deal, this does not bode well for the Australian taxpayer and does not bode well for the country.

Question agreed to.