Senator FIFIELD (Victoria—Minister for Communications, Minister for the Arts and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:28): I thank Senator Watt for his question. The NBN, in contrast to the record of those opposite, is actually being delivered. When those opposite were on the Treasury benches, the NBN was a fantasy. Only 51,000 premises had been connected to the NBN nationwide, despite billions having been spent over four or five years. I am very pleased to advise the chamber that the NBN is now available to more than half the country. It is on track to be completed by 2020, which is a good six to eight years sooner than was proposed by those opposite, and at about $30 billion less cost. Now, with a project of this scale, where you are effectively transferring the entire nation to a new telecommunications network— The PRESIDENT: Order. Senator Watt on a point of order. Senator Watt: On relevance. I have been letting the minister go for some time but he hasn't addressed the point of the question. The question was whether the minister was aware that Caboolture in Longman has been rated as having the highest number of complaints and it asked the minister to confirm that complaints about the NBN alone have increased by more than double. He hasn't come to that yet. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Watt, for reminding the minister of the question. I note he has a minute and one second remaining to answer. I'm listening carefully to the answer, given that you've restated the question. Senator Fifield. Senator FIFIELD: As I was saying, with a project of this scale, where you are, effectively, transferring the entire nation to a new network, there will be individuals and businesses who will have an experience that isn't all that we would hope it would be. And I would never seek to diminish the experience of an individual or a household that isn't all that it should be. We have been putting in place a range of measures to enhance the consumer experience and provide greater transparency to consumers. For instance, we have tasked the ACCC with the monitoring of services. They are embedding 4,000 probes in premises around the nation so that individuals will be able to see what the service is that retailers are providing in a particular area. The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt, a supplementary question.