Mr HOCKEY (3:01 PM) —My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, have you read the NBN business plan and, if so, why cannot everyone else?

Ms GILLARD (Prime Minister) —Obviously, the government is working through its internal processes, including cabinet processes, about this matter. I am not intending to comment on them publicly.

Mr Dutton —You haven’t read it!

The SPEAKER —Order! The member for Dickson.

Ms GILLARD —If that means the opposition is going to scream and shout like a pack of schoolchildren, I will allow them to do that because any member of the opposition who has served as a cabinet minister understands what cabinet-in-confidence means. If they are so dismissive of cabinet-in-confidence, I would welcome the Leader of the Opposition saying, for example, ‘We could release every cabinet-in-confidence document of the Howard government.’ What a tale we would see about things like Work Choices. The shadow minister asked me about confidentiality. I assume he is genuinely interested, that this was not just an excuse to scream and shout and act like a child. Let me take him through it.

Mr Dutton —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order as to relevance. The Prime Minister was asked simply whether she had read it—no detail, just: has she read it?

The SPEAKER —The standing order indicates that the Prime Minister has to be directly relevant to the question. The Prime Minister is responding. She will be directly relevant to the question.

Ms GILLARD —Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I am being directly relevant to that section of the question which goes to the release of the NBN Co. business case. I will directly answer that question by explaining the process of release and the confidential matters that are within it. The government will release the business plan in December after the government has considered a key ACCC recommendation on how many retail companies will be able to plug into the network. Of course, we need to work through this decision which is the subject of an NBN Co. and ACCC public consultation process, which does not conclude until 30 November. The points that interconnect that decision, which that process relates to, will be made after the ACCC has delivered its advice to government on 1 December.

Mr Abbott interjecting—

Ms GILLARD —The Leader of the Opposition is asking: how is this about the business plan? Of course, this decision relates to the business plan. The points of interconnection decision will mainly impact on backhaul providers, on how and where they connect into the NBN, how the infrastructure they have already built will be affected and how deep into the network companies will be able to build their own infrastructure. Consequently, that is market-sensitive information. The member asked me: why do you not simply release the NBN Co. business plan? Because there are market-sensitive sections of it. I have just spelt out a section of market sensitivity.

We can tell from the reaction of those opposite on the opposition front bench that to them this is all just a game. Actually, they have no interest at all in receiving the business case. We will put it out. They will never really read it. They will go through it and look for one word they can put in a press release in order to justify their argument and demolish the NBN.

Mr Hartsuyker —You haven’t read it.

The SPEAKER —Order! The member for Cowper is warned!

Ms GILLARD —We thank the member for Wentworth for being so forthright in earlier interviews. It does not matter what the facts are, it does not matter what anybody finds, it does not matter how positive the National Broadband Network is; the Leader of the Opposition will always be opposed to it because he is pursuing a political game and not the national interest. You could not have a clearer display than you can see today in the kind of cheap political game this opposition is obsessed by.

Mr Pyne —Mr Speaker, in order to give the Prime Minister time to answer yes or no, I would move a two-minute extension of time.

The SPEAKER —Order! I believe there was still time on the clock, although I was not checking that. If there was time on the clock and the member for Sturt, even though he is warned by way of interjections, is assisting me by saying there was, I do not think I can accept such a motion. There was still time; the member had time. Such a motion can be moved only when the time has expired.