Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications. Will the minister outline the key barriers holding back internet usage in Australia. How does affordability affect household access to broadband?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. The biggest barrier to internet access in Australia is not technology but lack of income. It has been always thus. The Australian Bureau of Statistics only last week confirmed that households in the poorest income quintile, the lowest income quintile, were more than 10 times less likely to have access to the internet at home than those in the wealthiest quintile—that is to say, of the lowest income bracket, 41 per cent had no access to the internet; of the wealthiest, four per cent—so affordability is obviously absolutely vital. But what was the inevitable object of Labor's approach to broadband? Making internet access less affordable than ever.

Mr Champion interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Wakefield is warned.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Now I know that in the fantasy land of the Labor Party economics is not a strong suit. But the reality is that, if you create a massively overcapitalised government monopoly—what is that going to do to prices? It is going to put them up; what else can it do? Thirty-two billion dollars additional investment is what we would see if we proceeded with Labor's program. And, according to the strategic review, that would increase monthly broadband prices by 50 per cent to 80 per cent per month. The people on the Labor benches are mocking and scoffing; they do not care about the battlers they claim to represent.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Wakefield will remove himself under 94(a).

The member for Wakefield then left the chamber.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They do not care about the people who cannot afford the internet today. Their goal, their objective, is to make the internet access that is unaffordable today to 41 per cent of people in the lowest income group even less affordable in the years to come. They are sticking with that policy. It is a policy the victims of which are the Australians they claim to represent and which they have so manifestly—on this and on so many other issues—and utterly abandoned.

This Labor policy would result in average broadband monthly prices increasing by $43 a month, making it even less affordable. So our policy is designed to have this project completed sooner, cheaper and more affordably. That will make it more affordable, and a key part of that is the fibre-to-the-node technology which we will be deploying shortly on the Central Coast at Umina. Australians then will see how a competent government will deliver broadband.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After 23 very well answered questions, Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.