Mr FERGUSON (Bass) – I thank the member for Lyons, Ms White, for her address. I find it very hard to disagree with anything that she said. It was an excellent speech; the problem I now have is that she has given an excellent speech which unfortunately goes to an offensive motion. So naturally enough we are not supporting your motion or the motion that Mr Wightman wrote.
Mr O’Byrne – You take offence very easily, Mr Ferguson.
Mr FERGUSON – No, that is not the point. The point is that the motion specifically makes a number a accusations and calls on my leader to take certain actions. We saw this motion introduced to the House on 9 June, prior to Parliament rising for the winter break. This motion was on the Notice Paper to be debated but for reasons unknown to me was not debated and was withdrawn. So I find it interesting that Ms White has said that bringing the motion up for debate today is an indication of the seriousness and urgency of this issue.
Ms White – It is.
Mr FERGUSON – As I said from the outset, I could not disagree with much of what the member for Lyons had to say. The Tasmanian Liberals, as is well known to Mr Wightman and Ms White, supported it from as far back as around Christmas, as I recall, when the announcement was made by my Leader. Well before the election campaign we had quite clear and unequivocal statement of support for the NBN.
Mr McKim interjecting.
Mr FERGUSON – I listened very carefully without interjecting on the Labor member who introduced this motion and I would appreciate being able to speak, and I will stay to listen to your contribution, Minister.
We have as an Opposition supported the NBN for very good reason. It is obvious that improved broadband infrastructure, in particular in a State like ours, is something that any opposition would support. Fibre is being rolled out at no cost to the Tasmanian Government and at no cost, in terms of capital, to consumers who, with or without their wanting it to go past their house do not have to pay for it. The truth is, as far as my technical knowledge informs me, there is nothing that beats fibre. It is the fastest technology, no question. I did not realise that was an issue because the minister opposite is now looking a bit dazzled by that statement. The question is, why would we not support the NBN for the obvious benefits that it will bring our economy? The productivity gains that could be achieved in business and education are astounding. In our
health system and even in the entertainment industry there are great opportunities for us as a State to take advantage of improved broadband infrastructure.
The Opposition is not obliged to support the NBN or anything the Government wants us to support; it is up to us to oppose the Government and to scrutinise its actions. We have made a decision which I have already explained. From that position I wrote to the Premier as Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology on 19 May and asked him, as is normal courtesy extended to any shadow minister, for a briefing on matters to do with the NBN in particular and the innovation, science and technology portfolio in general, but received no reply – none at all – and here is the letter, Mr Deputy Speaker. I raised it again with the Premier at budget Estimates on 28 June and you would have thought I was speaking a different language.
We from the Opposition have been trying to support better broadband in this State because we love Tasmania and we want the productivity gains. We have consistently said that we will support investment in broadband in this State for obvious reasons. At Estimates we constructively put forward proposals to improve the NBN rollout and suggested an opt-in model to improve what I regard as quite an abysmal 50 per cent take-up rate. It is funny, the Premier was raving about this figure of 50 per cent, as if it was somehow an impressive figure, but I do not think it is and time does not permit me to go into that.
Despite the disparaging treatment that was dished out at Estimates, it turned out that the Premier ended up agreeing with us and has claimed it as his own idea, which I do not mind, but we have gone from having an optional opt-in system, which then moved to apparently a desire to go to opt-out, and days before the Federal election Federal Minister Conroy was heard to say that it will have to be compulsory because Telstra are going to pull up their copper network.
We had to fight the Premier’s trademark divisive politics on this issue during Estimates hearings. He refused to accept any constructive suggestions, because I regard 50 per cent as quite pitiful, especially if people who have not taken up the option when it is offered – when the trucks and the tradesmen are in the town or in the suburb. If in two, three or four years’ time another person moves into a home or business and they want to get access to the NBN they will be up for hundreds of dollars at least to gain access to it again.
I note the failure as well of the Premier to answer any of our very simple questions relating to the NBN rollout in Tasmania. We asked for questions on cost and he was unable or unwilling to help us out with disclosing the cost. The Premier failed with regard to regional communities in the Bass Strait islands, where he provided initial assurances of fibre rollout. I might just give the member for Lyons the example of Oatlands, for example, a town that the Premier said the NBN would go to, which Minister Conroy
has contradicted.
Funnily enough, despite the Premier’s abusive and divisive style in this place, where we over here had to put up with accusations that somehow we were to blame for what in his view was the Federal Liberal Party’s deficient policy, contrary to his claims – because he never bothered to ask me, never bothered to check – we actually did write to Tony Abbott. In fact, I wrote to Tony Abbott on 29 April, long before any of these sorts of shenanigans were being fought out in this place. The Premier has made all sorts of hysterical accusations on this issue but he is just wrong. We have consistently said as well that is fair enough, it is entirely right and proper for any Federal Opposition to scrutinise what the Federal Government is doing, to scrutinise the plan or lack of planning, and to ensure that the potential cost to the taxpayer, in light of what is now record Federal debt, is appropriate and affordable. It is not the Tasmanian Opposition’s job to scrutinise the Federal Government’s spending on broadband.
Funnily enough, it seems to me as well that the Tasmanian Government has not bothered to have an eye to that either and has somehow sought to just make cheap political points. I come back again to my first statement which was that we were not obliged to support the NBN but we did. What was the reward? The Premier talks about his new politic. We are getting a bit sick about hearing his new politic from this renaissance man. What reward did the Tasmanian Opposition get for supporting something the Premier was doing? A slap in the face, divisive treatment, hysterical accusations that somehow we were to blame for something that he did not like about Tony Abbott.
So my question to the Premier, in his absence, would be, did he bother to lobby for a better policy from the Federal Opposition? Did he pick up the phone? Now that Tony Abbott is quite potentially Australia’s new Prime Minister, has the Tasmanian Premier bothered? It seems to me that probably the answer is no. That is why these sorts of motions are just pathetic.
However, I would say this. If the Tasmanian Liberals had said something weak on NBN or had not given a clear message of support, maybe a motion like this would be fair enough to flush us out. We have done the right thing by Tasmanians for all the right reasons. We wanted better infrastructure, but what help did we get from the Government, what help did we get from this renaissance man with his phoney new politic? A slap in the face.
