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

That is because the decision to abandon fibre by those opposite was always about cheap politics and not about the future. We know that productivity is supercharged by high-speed broadband that is underpinned by the best technology. So mind-boggling is it that the Liberals and Nationals purchased over 60,000 kilometres of new copper, enough to wrap around planet Earth 1½ times.

But Labor is investing to expand the NBN fibre network because we believe in helping all Australians to reach their full potential through quality broadband. And we are continuing to see the benefits of improved productivity as more fibre is rolled out delivering gigabit speeds to 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the NBN fixed-line footprint by 2025.

The fact is only a Labor government can be relied on to invest in the long-term infrastructure that Australians need, including in the NBN, to be globally competitive. But there is more to do, including our continuing investments in the fixed wireless network, including our $480 million investment to upgrade that technology, trialling new uncapped satellite products to deliver faster internet in rural and regional areas. We are getting on with the job of delivering the highest quality broadband to all Australians.

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