Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. On how many sites has remediation work on Telstra pits been delayed as a result of asbestos concerns? Has work on any NBN rollout sites been delayed as a result of asbestos concerns; and, if so, how many? Further, what are the range of delays to the handover of Telstra pits that will be experienced by NBN Co. as a result of Telstra's cessation of works in certain pits as a result of asbestos concerns?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate the senator on getting a question on the National Broadband Network! It is quite amazing! I am sure you will assist me in the course of my answer. Telstra have remediated, I understand, over 120,000 pits, and there have been notices or incidents reported to Comcare—I think, 29, of which a number have nothing to do with the National Broadband Network. So, even if you add those in, that is about 0.02 per cent.

Let me be very clear about this: not one shortcut is acceptable. There are no shortcuts here when it comes to dealing with asbestos. Everyone is required to follow the rules—

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You should have anticipated this.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And that is why the procedures were written into it, Senator Brandis, who knows all! That is exactly why, if you go and have a look, Senator Brandis—instead of pontificating and pretending you are in the High Court; if you could just manage not to be an expert on every topic, Senator Brandis, I would be able to complete my answer. I know that is very hard!

So, no shortcuts are acceptable to the government—none whatsoever. In the meeting that Mr Shorten and I convened, we brought together Telstra, NBN Co., the contractors, Comcare and all of the relevant authorities, including the trade unions involved, and the agreement reached at that was that Telstra's remediation of pits would cease until training standards were all agreed and to make sure everyone was given adequate notice that every single aspect—

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. There were a number of very specific questions that were asked of the minister, such as at how many sites has remediation work by Telstra been delayed and whether there has been any delay to the handover of NBN sites and what number of delays had been experienced. Mr President, I note there are 10 seconds left on the clock. If the minister does not have answers to those specific questions, which he has not answered in the one minute and 50 seconds he has had to date, perhaps he might at least take those specific questions on notice.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order. I believe the minister is answering the question. The minister now, as you rightly pointed out, has 10 seconds remaining to answer the primary question before you get the opportunity for your supplementary questions.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, you might want to ask Senator Brandis to shut up—and that would help Senator Birmingham. But, as I said, Telstra have suspended all remediation. NBN Co. have—(Time expired)

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Has any reprofiling or adjustment to the planned schedule for the handover of Telstra pits to NBN Co. occurred as a result of asbestos concerns? If so, in which states and on how many sites has this occurred? Again, can the minister indicate on how many sites Telstra has delayed work and whether this has delayed handover of any NBN rollout sites as yet?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I have already indicated, Telstra have suspended all their remediation work—100 per cent; all. NBN Co. themselves have agreed that, when they find a pit that needs to be augmented—as you are now familiar with that phrase, Senator—they will actually bring in experts who are specialists in handling asbestos.

So, in NBN Co.'s work, that is continuing. They are not using their existing workforce; they are ensuring that they are all adequately trained to meet all the standards that were set out. In terms of whether there has been any rescheduling of handovers, I think I have usually described it as Telstra are about six months, on average—that is an average figure—ahead of the point where NBN Co. come in and start connecting people's houses. I do not have any information at all on that. I am happy to take on notice to see if there is any information that is available, but I have not been—(Time expired)

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for taking that aspect of the question on notice. My final supplementary is: has NBN Co. made any changes to the contractual expectations or policies it expects its NBN Co. contractors to adhere to as a result of asbestos concerns? If so, what changes has NBN Co. made in relation to its expectations of its contractors?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The working party has had a number of meetings. It is being chaired by Mr Shorten, and I do not have an up-to-date brief. A number of agreements were reached when we held the first meeting, including that everyone would be adequately trained, and there was a discussion about what the appropriate level was, depending on what sort of work there was. If there is any suggestion that NBN Co. did not take it seriously, as Senator Brandis and others on that side have tried to suggest—

Senator Birmingham interjecting—

At least you were present when Mr Quigley stated that they took it very seriously from the day they engaged in this with Telstra. People have sought to misrepresent what Mr Quigley said—not you, Senator Birmingham, because you were actually present, but there have been those from your side. I am happy to take on notice to find out any further information for you on whether there has been a change. But there is an agreement and a process that is going on at the moment in that working group. (Time expired)