Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) for nearly a decade, the former Government's oversight of the National Broadband Network (NBN) had been a masterclass in technological incompetence and financial mismanagement, causing Australia to trail other developed countries on broadband quality and speeds;

(b) the Government is delivering what Australians voted for and will expand full fibre access to 1.5 million premises by 2025 with a $2.4 billion equity investment over four years in the 2022-23 budget;

(c) this will:

(i) deliver a faster and more reliable NBN to more families, communities, and businesses and allow more Australians to take advantage of an increasingly digital global economy; and

(ii) give Australians who now rely on copper connections the choice of having full fibre connections to their premises if they want a faster NBN service than their current copper wire can deliver; and

(2) acknowledges economic analysis commissioned by NBN Co that estimates the additional fibre-to-the-premises connections will deliver an additional $20 billion uplift in gross domestic product by 2030 through connecting communities and businesses to faster and more reliable broadband services.

The Albanese government was elected on a platform of a better future for all Australians regardless of whether they live in our cities, our suburbs or out in our regions. This is a platform that we are wasting no time in affirming our commitment to and delivering on. A large part of this platform will tighten up the digital divide that we currently see in Australia between our cities and our regions. There is no denying that, after nine long years of mismanagement by the former Liberal and National government, the digital divide has widened and many people have been left behind. We have a very big multitechnology mess to clean up.

For nine years, let's be frank, the previous government completely bungled the NBN rollout. They turned what could have been a world-leading program into a slow paced and uneven system of broadband connectivity. Just imagine if they'd continued what had been started. So many more—millions more—households would be connected to full fibre. That would be good not just for consumers; it would be good for business, health services and education. Yet what they did was start all over again, and they made a mess of it.

The coalition's record on the NBN is a masterclass in what not to do. It truly highlights their complete economic and technological incompetence. I've got to say that when former Prime Minister Abbott made his comments about the country's broadband needs, you could have forgiven him, because this wasn't his area of expertise, let's be frank. But when Prime Minister Turnbull came along, here was a man who understood technology, and he understood finance. He understood what should've happened and, frankly, I think it was a great disappointment that, under Prime Minister Turnbull in particular, the NBN rollout was allowed to continue to be such a mess.

Through delays and cost blowouts, the coalition's initial promise was to build the NBN for $29 billion—something the Labor Party said couldn't happen. But the Liberals were adamant: the Liberals said they'd build it for $29 billion. Well, that soon turned into $41 million and then $49 billion. It actually ended up costing $58 billion—double the cost—and the quality is half what it could've been. If we had continued with the NBN as Labor had initially designed it, we would have a full-blown NBN, full fibre-optic to 93 per cent of the population, from memory, for probably less than that amount. So not only does this cost blowout prove that those opposite can't manage a budget and show financial responsibility, but the delays of the rollout caused Australia to trail other developed countries on broadband quality and speeds; they leapfrogged us. The previous government did nothing but bungle the NBN and leave Australians behind in a technological dark age. If those opposite were in power today, sadly, this would still be the case.

Only this month Senator Sarah Henderson described expanding fibre access to more Australians as 'wasting taxpayers' funds'—unbelievable. The fact is the coalition is more than happy to leave regional Australians in the dark with poor internet reliability and speeds. Labor are not. We are determined to close the digital divide that those opposite failed to do. Unlike the coalition, the Albanese government firmly believes in enabling the NBN's full potential. We have a proud history of backing and developing our technological capacity through the NBN. It was Labor who founded the NBN with the purpose of providing fast, reliable and affordable broadband to all Australians. It is a legacy that remains true today and it remains this government's goal for the NBN.

In the 21st century access to reliable broadband is not a luxury or privilege; it is a necessity. The COVID-19 pandemic taught us about the importance of reliable broadband for all Australians. The Albanese government will expand full-fibre access to 1.5 million premises by 2025 with a $2.4 billion equity investment over four years in this budget. This will ensure faster and more reliable NBN to more Australians, including many throughout the regions. We are determined to close the digital divide that those opposite failed to do. We built the NBN originally, we are back on track and we are going to make sure the NBN is fit for the purpose into the future.

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