Oakeshott 'surprised' at Coalition's Huawei pledge

Independent MP Rob Oakeshott has expressed surprise at a Coalition pledge to review Huawei's ban from NBN works should it come to power in the next election.

Shadow communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull yesterday aired his concerns over the Labor Government's decision to exclude Huawei from the NBN over security fears.

Turnbull promised to review Labor's decision, noting that the Chinese networking vendor had participated in Britain's broadband rollout.

"I'm very surprised they are floating an overrule on the NBN build," Oakeshott said in a tweet today.

"What does the LNP [Liberal National Party] know about Huawei that ASIO doesn't?"

Oakeshott called on members of the LNP - and other critics of Huawei's exclusion - to outline their case for overturning the ban.

"Fair enough if you can back it up," Oakeshott said of the Coalition criticism. "If they can, I'll back 'em".

He added that ASIO's security advice had been tested before the Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network.

The committee found "no reason to dispute" ASIO's advice, he said, despite LNP representation at the public hearing.

Turnbull said yesterday that Huawei's chances of overturning the ban would still come down to ASIO's advice, which the Coalition had not been privy to.