Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and I note the great expertise he brings to this Parliament in the broadband policy space. As he well knows, reliable, quality, accessible, high-speed internet is essential 21st century infrastructure. Since it was initiated by Labor, the NBN has been a key investment in our nation's future. It's helped Australians stay connected during the pandemic. It supported telehealth and remote education and it has boosted economic productivity by expanding access to customers of small business.

Labor took a policy the last election to expand the NBN fibre network, because we believe that all Australians should be able to access the connectivity and reliability benefits that full fibre broadband will deliver. What this will do is further boost the productivity of regional businesses, support the increased number of Australians continuing to work, study and transact remotely. Central to this commitment is to ensure that families, businesses and communities in our outer suburbs and regions aren't left behind. That is why the Albanese government is investing $2.4 billion to build a better NBN, giving an additional 1.5 million premises full fibre access, including 660,000 in our regions. The fulfilment of this investment was reflected in our budget. What it means is that 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the NBN fixed line footprint will have access to gigabit speeds by late 2025.

I am asked about how our NBN upgrade will deliver better broadband. I've outlined that in respect of speed, quality, accessibility—all improvements about how we conduct our lives and the small business benefits, all of them positive. But I respectfully note that there is a different opinion out there in the context of this question, an opinion that describes this policy as wasteful spending. You may ask who would describe this as wasteful spending. The answer is those opposite. Those opposite think that investing in full-fibre broadband for the regions is wasteful spending. What an insult to regional Australia. The waste was 10 years of a failed multitechnology mix, investing in a copper network that was completely unsuitable.

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