Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This nation needs fast broadband, and it is extraordinary that the HFC network passing three million households was going to be ignored by the Labor government and that they were simply going to duplicate more fibre down those same streets. Next week, the federal government I hope will be announcing service agreements to acquire Optus and Telstra's HFC network where, in nearly 20 electorates around the country, over 80 per cent of Australian homes have fibre broadband passing right past their houses, hung from the power lines. Connecting up the other million households will be a big job, but, for the first time, because it is a wholesale network, Australians can keep their old service provider on HFC. Let us talk about the price competition in having multiple retail service providers competing for the lowest broadband services.

Let us talk about the technology. Under DOCSIS 3.1, speeds of over 300 megabits per second—we could never conceive that. But technology will help push up speeds. Those who do not have the cable in my electorate—and that is around half of my electorate—will be waiting on the 18-month plan for fibre to the node. But, on HFC, we will have a work-front moving by the end of next year.

Let us use the assets that this nation has. Let us deliver that high-speed broadband and, by removing the filters from this system, we can have fast upload speeds as well. It was ridiculous to ignore what three million Australian households already had—fibre, right outside their window. Under the coalition, they will be connected.