Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

For Senator Birmingham, let me repeat that again: it does not go to the role of NBN Co. and its commercial structure. The NBN legislation dealing with these matters will be introduced next week for consideration next year, well after the business case has been released. This is simply mischievous behaviour by the opposition, which has no plan or agenda of its own. The link between the CCS bill and the NBN business case is spurious. The Telstra deal is envisaged in the CCS bill, but only as part of the structural separation of Telstra rather than an approval of the NBN Co. arrangements. This link is spurious.

Let me make one further point about the CCS bill because it seems as if, given this behaviour, we will not get there today. The opposition, through their mischievous behaviour, is avoiding dealing with this bill, and perhaps that is quite the agenda here. This is not a case to suspend standing orders; this is the opposition seeking to avoid coming to the party on the competition measures that they should be supporting. Those opposite must support the CCS bill, this legislation, if they are serious about improving competition in the telecommunications market and delivering better services for their constituents. But instead it appears that they will continue to deny, through measures such as this—a device through which they have made no case for urgency—a fairer deal for millions of Australians.

That is what this spurious motion to suspend standing orders is about. I have not heard one member of the opposition make a case for urgency. In this motion they have sought to make a spurious link to a different bill about introducing competition into this sector to ensure the achievement of a fairer deal for Australians utilising the telecommunications market. The link is spurious. This is simply mischievous behaviour by the opposition, which has no agenda of their own other than mischief and blocking the government from introducing a fairer deal.

Question put:

That the motion (Senator Abetz’s) be agreed to.