Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has slammed Opposition Spokesman Malcolm Turnbull over his recent comments on delivery of the National Broadband Network to greenfield estates.

 

"Mr Turnbull is misrepresenting the facts when he criticises the rollout of the NBN to new housing estates," Senator Conroy said. 

 

“Mr Turnbull has assumed that all new homes completed in the past eighteen months in estates of over 100 lots were NBN Co's responsibility.

 

"This is incorrect. The agreement reached with Telstra states that if Stage 5 planning approval had been received prior to 1 January 2011 these homes remained the responsibility of Telstra.”

 

The exchange came after Mr Turnbull railed against the “extraordinary incompetence” of the NBN Co in its rollout of the service to greenfield developments.

 

Senator Conroy spent little time in rushing to the defence of the NBN Co.

 

"NBN Co has fibre construction commenced or completed for 29,000 lots in new housing estates already, and has passed more than 15,000 of these. This includes lots where homes have yet to be built,” Senator Conroy said.