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

It depends on whether you want to call it basement or node. You are being a little disingenuous. Let us go back to the Economist Intelligence Unit—that oxymoron for the particular publication in this instance—where it talked about how South Korea were rolling out a fibre-to-the-home proposal. Did Mr Turnbull not meet anyone involved in that rather large—I think to quote from the Economist Intelligence Unit—$24 billion project. This involves converting from the basement or node, if you want to use that word, to people’s flats—actually into their homes. Did he not meet anyone involved in that $24 billion project that is underway in South Korea? I am quoting those figures; I could be wrong. I am quoting that from the Economist Intelligence Unit so it is entirely possible that it is wrong, given the way that they incorrectly described our build. But perhaps Mr Turnbull did not meet any of those companies involved in that somewhat significant project in South Korea on his tour of telecommunications facilities.

Let me be clear: I have actually visited the fibre-to-the-home displays in Singapore; I have visited homes that are receiving it; I have visited the companies that are building it. So I am intrigued.