Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow minister for his question. The fact is that there is a divide in this House. There is a divide between those people who support world-class broadband and those who failed to act for 12 long years. I find it particularly interesting that it is not the shadow minister for this portfolio but the Leader of the National Party who asks a question relating to regional services, because what we know is that under the former government’s plan for broadband they had two systems: one for the city—one for my electorate, in which you could get world-class broadband services—and another for his own. The one for his own, of course, was a second-class system.

What we saw from those opposite over 12 long years was a different plan every month but no action. There were different plans for regional communities, different plans for the nation, but no actual progress. What this government is committed to as part of our commitment to lifting world-class infrastructure and nation building is $4.7 billion as our contribution to building the national broadband network. We know this is critical for Australia’s economic growth. We know that when it comes to national broadband we rate below Slovenia when it comes to world-class broadband.

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