Senator FIFIELD (Victoria—Manager of Government Business in the Senate, Minister for Communications and Minister for the Arts) (14:41): I thank Senator McLucas for her question. I acknowledge that she, like members of the press gallery who are in receipt of allegedly leaked documents, hyperventilated and got sweaty palms when those documents were in prospect— Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order on my left. Senator FIFIELD: The point that Mr Turnbull was making in his previous incarnation was that fibre to the premises obviously is expensive. Senator Conroy: Did he not tell you? You didn't know, did you? The PRESIDENT: Order on my left. Senator FIFIELD: The company published its audited half-year results earlier last month showing full fibre to the premises continuing to cost on average $4,419 per premise. In some cases the cost of connecting a premise actually runs into tens of thousands of dollars where there are lots of civil works to undertake. This is actually the model favoured by the Australian Labor Party, which is also known as 'fibre at any cost'. Senator Conroy: Ho, ho, ho! Senator FIFIELD: Well, it is a statement of fact. Senator Conroy: You will not be able to keep getting them to tell lies for you for much longer. The PRESIDENT: Senator Conroy! Senator FIFIELD: I have got all day, Mr President. What is important to recognise is that the trial that was referred to in the paper today of nbn doing a variation of a fibre-to-the-node product is not new and is not a secret because the company announced that it was doing this in its half-year results last month. That is how much of a secret it is—that nbn announced in its half-year results that it was doing this. nbn has always had the approach under this government of doing that which is most cost-effective. (Time expired)