Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

They may very well be, Senator Williams. And they will be very unhappy suckers because this is a cost that Australians into the future will not have to pay but they have paid in the past. So what we have is one big shemozzle.

The collapse of the joint venture in Tasmania will be on your own head, Minister. You need to come clean and make it clear what future plans you have and put on the record exactly what has occurred to date. That is what we would like to know. I would also like to acknowledge the good effort of iTWire. Gee, they have been on the ball. They have been really sharp and have picked up on many of the concerns of the public. They have noted the lack of a business case. They have noted the collapse of the NBN Co joint venture in Tasmania. I want to acknowledge their good work.

Minister Conroy has said the Tasmanian rollout of the NBN is ‘on time and on budget’. He has said that many times. Well, how would we know? There is no time line and there is no budget. Nobody actually knows. He is making it up. It is nonsensical and ridiculous. There is no veracity or foundation behind that comment, so how can he be believed? So when will the minister reveal the budget? When will he reveal the business plan? When will he undertake and release a cost-benefit analysis? Those are some very important points. I am very happy to rest my case. I thank the Senate.