Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Special Minister of State and Scrutiny of Government Waste) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Having risen to continue my remarks, I want to finish off this week by speaking in relation to the NBN and particularly those matters that have surrounded the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. A number of senators here tonight have been in parliament for a long time and fully understand when a government has had a good week and when a government has had a bad week. The record and history will show that this has been a bad, bad week for the government. Those like me who have been here for a long time know what the body language says, and the government’s body language tells us that those on the other side have come back this week to this place rattled. There is no engagement from the back bench and their ministers are not being supported—they are clearly rattled. They are clearly rattled about what has come out in relation to NBN and Mr Mike Kaiser.

Let me put this into perspective. The Prime Minister is earning $380,000 or thereabouts a year these days. I think it is under $400,000. We have a man who was effectively given the job in NBN as its government relations manager for $450,000—$450,000 to run the government relations part of NBN. That is more than is given to the Prime Minister of this country. The Prime Minister is doing a rotten job, but there is no way known that Mr Mike Kaiser is worth more than the Prime Minister is. Can I tell you again, because this is very important when you are talking about a man who has been clearly given a $450,000 job by the minister for communications, what is on the public record about Mr Mike Kaiser. Mr Mike Kaiser was named in the Shepherdson royal commission as a roll rorter and he was forced to resign from the Queensland parliament. What a great candidate for a government relations job with something as sensitive as NBN and its relationship with Telstra and the whole communications industry! So $450,000 for a rorter named in the Shepherdson inquiry. What a disgrace, and there is not one person in this chamber that does not know the relationship between Minister Conroy and Mike Kaiser. It cannot be justified. The questions have not been answered. We will continue to pursue this minister in relation to this matter.

In the short period of time left open to me, I want to look at the front page story of the Australian today in relation to the National Broadband Network and the botched endeavours of the minister for communications. Can you believe that we have a $43 billion project for which there is no business plan?

Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Eggleston interjecting—

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Special Minister of State and Scrutiny of Government Waste) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is remarkable, Senator Eggleston. Not only is there no business plan and no business case but we now find, as indicated on the front page of the Australianand not denied by the minister—this:

THE Rudd government has backflipped on one of its key promises about the operation of the new national broadband network in an attempt to bolster the economic credentials of the massive $43 billion project and to enforce Telstra’s co-operation.

The draft legislation released yesterday reveals Communications Minister Stephen Conroy will have the discretion to allow NBN Co to effectively become a government-owned retailer of telecommunications services—

so a government-owned retailer of telecommunications services, not a wholesaler, as was promised! This is another backflip by a government that cannot help itself in relation to broken promises. It is the government of broken promises and it is the government of blah, blah, blah. (Time expired)