No Labor majority on NBN oversight group

The Joint Committee tasked with overseeing the roll-out of the National Broadband Network (NBN) will not have a Labor majority, as part of a deal between the Greens and the Federal Government.

The Joint Committee established to keep oversight on the roll-out of the NBN and report to the parliament every six weeks was secured as part of a deal between Independent Senator Nick Xenophon, the Greens and government to ensure the passing of NBN legislation late last year.

Today, Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam announced that negotiations surrounding the formation of the committee had concluded and — contrary to the usual way committees are run — it will not be made up of a majority of Labor members.

"We have spent the summer negotiating broader terms of reference, removing the proposed government majority on the committee and ensuring that it gets to work right away, rather than waiting until July before getting started," Ludlam said in a statement.

"The Greens' approach to the NBN is to use the tools of the parliament to provide ongoing transparency, as a way of building confidence in this important project," he added. "The committee will give the industry and the broader community a window into the financial and engineering decisions underpinning the National Broadband Network."

The formation of the committee was brought up by Liberal Senator Mary-Jo Fisher in Senate Estimates last week, who expressed concern that it was not yet up and running despite the NBN rolling out in first release sites. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy flagged then that he expected it would be announced by this week.

"Without wanting to make Senator Ludlam blush too much," he said.

The news comes less than a week after the Greens secured a deal with the government to ensure that the NBN Co would not be exempted from Freedom of Information requests.