Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I did not actually hear the interjection, but Senator Barnett interjects. If Senator Barnett had been a bit more online with his state colleagues in Tasmania he would have realised that it was an important issue to voters in the federal election and maybe the Liberal Party would not have lost a senator but gained someone in the House of Representatives instead of ending up with the absolutely abysmal outcome that they ended up with. We are running the pilot in Tasmania, and it is important that this pilot is being run in Tasmania—where Tasmanians want it. The other side did nothing and I think it to cost them dearly in Tasmania in the federal election.

This is a 40-year investment. The other side did nothing for 12 years. In fact, over the past 14 years, how many plans have they had? There were 18 in the 12 years they were in government and now we are up to 20. Those on that side have had 20 plans as to what they would do with regard to the NBN. They have no concept of keeping up with the technological age. The NBN is key to Australians having fast and effective communications. As I said, we are committed and determined to make it happen. The rollout of fibre-to-the-premise will deliver speeds of up to 100 megabytes—50 times faster than most people experience today. Just imagine what that could do in the areas of education and health and in everybody’s life. But, no, they are opposing this process because that is what they do on that side: they just oppose for opposition’s sake. Even though it is the second time they are in opposition, they have not quite got the hang of the fact that they are in opposition. Some of them are still trying to come to grips with that. The majority of people on that side just stand up and say no, no, no. They are the party of the nos. It is completely disingenuous for them to behave like that.

What they also try to do is distort the costings that we have. Their alleged costings are based on a 40-year project. This is a long-term project. Members of their own side have said that it is a long-term project. Even with their costings it works out to be 13c a day per household, which I do not think many Australians have too many problems with. I know that not too many Tasmanians do. I have not had anyone in Tasmania complain to me or my office about it. As I said, if Senator Barnett and the opposition had really known what the people wanted, especially in Tasmania, they would have been supporting this program and backing it. It has cost them dearly.