Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It pains me to have to rise again to speak about the failure of this government's NBN rollout in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. If Labor were still in government, over 20,000 homes and businesses in the suburbs of Hallett Cove, Happy Valley, Lonsdale, O'Halloran Hill, Old Reynella, Reynella, Reynella East, Sheidow Park, Trott Park and Woodcroft would have been connected to fibre-to-the-premise NBN. Unfortunately, these suburbs and many others are languishing under the Turnbull failed plan to deliver the National Broadband Network. I have had hundreds of people respond to my petition to demand not second-rate NBN fibre-to-the-node but a proper NBN of fibre-to-the-premise. These people in the southern suburbs of Adelaide have sent a clear message that we want a proper internet after struggling for so many years to have decent internet. It is time for the real NBN to be rolled out.

The now Prime Minister said before the election that the Liberal government would deliver the NBN by 2016. That was in the coalition's 'real solutions' policy. My message to the Prime Minister, who was then the Minister for Communications is, 'We are still waiting.' Indeed, the second-rate NBN is due to be delivered, although we do not have any time frame whatsoever for when it will be delivered, to Happy Valley, Reynella, Trott Park, Woodcroft and Lonsdale. But the people in these suburbs have been short changed; they will be getting only fibre-to-the-node and they have said clearly to me that they want fibre-to-the-premise. Colin from Hallett Cove says, 'By the time the fibre-to-the-node is complete, it will be well and truly obsolete.' Alan says, 'NBN is way overdue…Fibre-to-the-premise is the answer.' And Lester says, 'Bring back the original NBN.'

It is now time for the Liberal Party to recognise that the telecommunications network in southern Adelaide is a disaster. Fibre-to-the-node will not fix the problems with the copper and the problems that residents have continued to endure. Even worse, in other large parts of my electorate there are those suburbs that will not have any NBN anytime soon. These include Port Noarlunga, Huntfield Heights, Hackham, Hackham West, Noarlunga Centre, Onkaparinga Hills, Christies Beach, O'Sullivan Beach, Lonsdale and Noarlunga Downs. Brendan, who runs two businesses, says, 'No-one can give me a clear answer as to why in 2015 I am unable to connect to what is fast becoming an essential carriage for conducting business.' Roger from Hallett Cove says, 'We of Hallett Cove—we are many—ask if you would advise when it is likely that the NBN in Hallett Cove will be available.' I cannot answer these residents. This shambles of a rollout of a second-rate NBN in my electorate has to stop. The government need to reverse this policy and deliver fibre-to-the-premise and decent internet connections for residents right across the southern suburbs of Adelaide. (Time expired)