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

Those opposite continue to try to suggest and imply—because it suits their political agenda—that Telstra is engaging in market manipulation. The agreement announced yesterday takes us one step closer to delivering a high-speed broadband platform and the structural reform the sector needs to drive genuine competition. This is what the NBN will deliver. The agreement provides us a clear, more certain pathway to this outcome. As Michael Malone, the CEO of iiNet—one of Telstra’s major competitors in fixed-line broadband markets—has said:

From our initial examination of yesterday’s announcement, the agreement is consistent with the Federal Government’s earlier commitments of an open access network, structural separation and regulatory reform.

It also means less unnecessary duplication of infrastructure—something that Senator Joyce yesterday just did not seem to be able to grasp. (Time expired)