Chris Bowen (Prospect, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Dutkiewicz. He said:

If I had the choice of fibre or wireless in the home, I would go for fibre straightaway, no questions asked.

The introduction said:

The wireless internet at the heart of the Federal government’s $1.9 billion rural broadband plan will never match the speed of the fibre networks promised by Labor.

This is the government trying to play catch-up on a matter which is very important across the country. It is very important in rural and regional areas and also very important in metropolitan areas. The people of Horsley Park have broadband now, only thanks to a campaign run recently. There are still people in metropolitan areas in my electorate who ring me regularly and say that they cannot get broadband because they live too far from an exchange. What is the way to fix that? Fibre to the node, not this ridiculous WiMax wireless plan, which has left my electorate completely bereft.

The Prime Minister said in the House of Representatives, in question time, that this was a wonderful initiative and the more red on the map the better. I say to the people in my electorate that we have been dudded by this government. Why? Because we are not one of the top 40 seats. We are not a targeted seat of the government. We did not get special treatment. In an election year this government is playing catch-up and trying to catch up with the initiative that Labor has put out—

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