Senator BERNARDI (2:27 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Communications, Broadband and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. Did cabinet meet this morning and did the minister brief the cabinet on the contents of the NBN business plan? Will the minister now release the business plan commensurate with his statements to the Senate last week that he wanted to brief the cabinet before publicly releasing it?

Senator CONROY (Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity) —I do not think it has ever been the practice of any minister or leader of the government to reveal when cabinet meets or, more importantly, what the agenda of cabinet is. So it is quite an unusual request from Senator Bernardi to—

Senator Brandis —Mr President, a point of order: the minister told the Senate last week that the matter would be considered by cabinet today, so the basis upon which he is declining to answer the question is at variance with what he has already told the Senate.

The PRESIDENT —That is not a point of order; it is an issue for debate at the end of question time, should you wish to put that debating point. Senator Conroy is still only 29 seconds into the two minutes allocated for the answer. Senator Conroy has the call.

Senator CONROY —As I was saying, it is not the practice—and it certainly will not be the practice—to reveal when cabinet is going to take place and, more importantly, what the agenda of cabinet is. Those opposite know that. They are seeking merely to create ongoing colour and movement because after 14 years those opposite have a broadband plan that consists of three dot points. That is all they have got, Mr President. There is no substance from those on the other side of the chamber—not in policy terms, and in political terms Senator Joyce has let the cat out of the bag. They are not interested in the business plan. They are not interested in a cost-benefit analysis; they are interested in pulling out, as he said, the card from the pack to try and make the pack collapse. They are interested in no substantive policy at all. They should be exposed for their fraudulent efforts both now and in the past in trying to pretend they have got a broadband plan. You have got a three-dot-point broadband plan. That is all they have got, Mr President. (Time expired)

Senator BERNARDI —Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given the minister’s statements last week, why has the minister now changed his story and is now relying on a letter from Mr Quigley to withhold release of the NBN business plan? Did neither the minister nor the Prime Minister realise the business plan contained, to quote Mr Quigley, ‘highly sensitive and commercial-in-confidence information’ when they were promising to release it last week? Is this not just another excuse for blocking release?

Senator CONROY (Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity) —Those opposite continue to try and build the case that the business case is flawed; the business case is a problem; the business case includes rising prices. Mr Quigley’s letter on the public record makes it quite clear: the business plan reinforces that it is financially viable. On the question of prices, Mr Quigley is very straightforward: the business plan is based on decreasing prices. It is stated there in black and white. Either Mr Quigley is misleading the Australian public—

Government senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT —Senator Conroy, resume your seat. It might assist if we had silence once again.

Senator CONROY —or those opposite are once again just clutching any furphy they can toss into the public arena where it is all removed—(Time expired)

Senator BERNARDI —Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question.Can the minister give a clear answer as to what will be released and when? Further, will the Australian public ever get to see a full and unredacted business plan for Labor’s $43 billion NBN experiment in which every single Australian has been enlisted as a compulsory shareholder or will 22 million Australians have to sign a seven-year confidentiality agreement before they get to know how their money is being spent?

Senator CONROY —That question once again clearly demonstrates that those opposite are not interested in any substance in this debate. When they were in government and Telstra was a wholly owned government enterprise, there was never a suggestion that an unredacted business plan would be released. Australia Post was under the control of those opposite for 11½ long years, and not once was there ever a suggestion that Australia Post needed to or should produce an unredacted business plan. The National Broadband Network will comply with all of the rules of the GBE requirements legislated, and that is what they will do. They will turn up and answer all of the mindless—(Time expired)