Libs foaming over NBN coffee perk

AUSSIES frothing at the mouth over news NBN is spending $164,000 on fancy beans and coffee machines.

Barista

STAFF building Australia's high-speed broadband network have been issued with $164,000 worth of coffee machines.

NBN Co has justified the purchase by saying it increased productivity, because staff didn't need to leave the office to buy a coffee.

The 31 machines are costing almost $4000 a month in beans and their maintenance has cost more than $10,000.

Spending on the coffee machines was revealed at Senate Estimates, where it also emerged the roll-out of the NBN would be delayed in WA and South Australia.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy described queries about the coffee machines from Liberal Senator David Bushby as "idiot questions" at the Senate hearing.

NBN Co had been accused of being late to answer questions on notice.

"The coffee machine question... I couldn't resist keeping that one so you could ask me directly about it," Mr Conroy told the committee.

"I mean, it is pitiful in a project which is changing the face of this country you would want to start quibbling about coffee machines.

"It just demeans you to ask such questions. There is no suggestion the NBN Co are wasting money on coffee machines."

NBN Co told the committee: "The machines were purchased as an amenity for the offices in order to aid productivity by reducing time spent by staff purchasing coffee outside the office."

The committee hearing on Tuesday night became fractious when Senator Bill Heffernan swore at Senator Conroy as the pair traded insults.

It also emerged that Syntheo, a consortium building the NBN in WA, SA and the NT, which has been assigned 17 per cent of construction work for this financial year, was facing problems withe the roll-out.

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull said that "not only has the Syntheo rollout failed to deliver a single activated service in 19 months, the NBN Co has also acknowledged that most of the premises in multi-dwelling units passed by the NBN fibre cannot be connected to the service."

A spokesman for the NBN Co yesterday said it would work with the consortium but that there would be construction delays.

He said the NBN was proceeding well elsewhere in the country, including Coffs Harbour where 2600 homes have recently been connected.