Government's NBN Cover up a major step backward in protecting whistleblowers says Communications Union
The Union representing communication workers has slammed NBN Co and the Turnbull Government over their attempts to cover up a failed NBN policy, and to bully whistleblowers who exposed those failures.
Communication Workers Union National Secretary Greg Rayner labelled it a “politically motivated attempt to cover-up Malcolm Turnbull’s NBN policy failures” and a “major step back in the protection of whistleblowers in Australia.”
“The leaked documents, which relate to Malcolm Turnbull’s time as Communications Minister, expose the Prime Minister’s failure to deliver the NBN on time, within budget and at the speeds he promised,” said Mr Rayner.
“Our members – NBN workers – say there has never been a higher level of complaints and customer dissatisfaction with the NBN roll-out. They bear the brunt from frustrated customers and members of the community while doing their job in the street and in shopping centres.”
“For example, customers on the Central Coast and in the Hunter region are currently dealing with extremely slow speeds and phone lines dropping out with many waiting weeks for their services to be repaired.”
The union’s NSW Branch Secretary Jim Metcher said members of the Union were also owed tens of thousands of dollars for work performed on Mr Turnbull’s second-rate NBN and they’re fed up with waiting to be able to provide for their families.
“NBN Co’s response to media scrutiny over unpaid work was to run a smear campaign against one of our members – even alleging one worker was a criminal in a failed effort to avoid their dodgy operation being highlighted in the media,” Mr Metcher said.
“It is therefore no surprise to us the lengths this Government and NBN Co has gone to today to cover up their failures.
“The NBN roll-out is dripping with dodgy employment arrangements and sham pyramid-contracting schemes. It is also reeling from revelations of off-shoring of important quality-control jobs to India.
“Mr Turnbull needs to front the Australian public and explain how he intends to clean up his own policy failure mess.”
Mr Metcher said workers and others who blew the whistle on the Turnbull Government’s failure to either deliver on the NBN project, or be open and honest about the project’s failings, should be protected.
“Raiding people’s homes and offices to try and cover-up evidence that exposes Mr Turnbull’s failures as Communications Minister is an unprecedented step and a scandal.
“Malcolm Turnbull has made a complete mess of the NBN roll-out. To react like this when the media and whistleblowers expose him shows just how far the Liberals will go to cling on to power.
“They will do anything to cover up the Turnbull Government and NBN Co’s failures.”
Mr Metcher said it was in the public interest that these damning documents were exposed by the media.
Media contact: Tim O’Halloran 0409 059 617
