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

Yes, you are right, Senator Birmingham, but the government did initially consider an FTTN solution.

Senator Birmingham interjecting—

As senators would be aware, and Senator Birmingham is interjecting, we went to tender but could not find a commercial partner for that solution. But more significantly the expert panel, with some of Australia's finest minds in telecommunications, that evaluated the tender advised the government that FTTP was the future for broadband—to the premises. 'FTTN is a costly diversion from the optimal path of fibre to the home and does not offer value for taxpayers' dollars.' That is what the experts said. I know the experts are not people whom those on the other side might take any notice of but, just like the New Zealand government, who abandoned midstream their fibre to the node bill to build fibre to the premises, Mr Turnbull and those opposite are being— (Time expired)