Federal Member for Wannon Dan Tehan has used Thursday’s Question Time to ask the Prime Minister to justify the costs that will be imposed on broadband internet users as a result of Labor’s National Broadband Network (NBN).
Federal Member for Wannon Dan Tehan has used Thursday’s Question Time to ask the Prime Minister to justify the costs that will be imposed on broadband internet users as a result of Labor’s National Broadband Network (NBN).
Mr Tehan challenged the Prime Minister on Labor’s back flip on a national broadband scheme in relation to comments from the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy who declared to the National Press Club in 2007 that Labor were ‘not proposing fibre to the home at this time’ because it is a ‘more expensive proposition’ and ‘there’s no point building something that people can’t afford to use’.
“Why has the government suddenly decided that struggling families can now afford to pay upwards of $100 per month to access telephone and broadband services under the National Broadband Network, when less than three years ago even the minister said it was ‘expensive’ and ‘something people can’t afford to use’?,” Mr Tehan challenged the Prime Minister.
The question comes on the back of a push by the Coalition to get the government to release their business plan for the NBN. The Coalition is trying to get the Government to produce the business plan for the NBN and also to refer the NBN project to the Productivity Commission for a thorough cost‐benefit analysis.
“They don’t want any scrutiny of this project, but it’s about making sure the biggest single spend since Federation is done judiciously and with some judgement.
“The Labor government are refusing to release the document to the public for consideration and assessment, leading many to question: What have they got to hide?
“If Labor’s NBN business plan is as good as they say it is, why not release the business plan and prove it?
“The fact is, the Labor government has done nothing to help keep cost of living pressures down for families in Wannon,” Mr Tehan said.
“Having to pay $100 a month for internet access under the NBN proposal is not going to help families who are struggling to balance the family books already.
“Labor are scared that releasing the NBN business plan will confirm the worst fears of many families across the nation, including those in Wannon: that the cost of living will only go up under a Labor government.
“The Parliament’s refusal to properly oversee the NBN, the largest infrastructure project in Australian history, is an irresponsible and unprecedented decision which will have ramifications for years to come,” Mr Tehan said.
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