House debates

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Statements by Members

Canberra Electorate: National Broadband Network

1:42 pm

Photo of Gai BrodtmannGai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | | Hansard source

The ACT election is this Saturday and I wish all Labor candidates the very best of luck.

Opposition Member:

An opposition member interjecting—Hear hear!

Photo of Gai BrodtmannGai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | | Hansard source

Hear hear! I have taken a number of opportunities to campaign with Labor candidates and in that time I have heard Canberrans say the same thing to me, again and again: that the NBN is not in their suburb; that the NBN is not coming to their suburb; and that they are relying on a substandard internet connection when deserve a world-class one. So you can imagine my confusion when I learnt that one Liberal MLA was writing to some of my constituents in Kambah to inform them that the NBN is coming this month and to inform them that the NBN will be completed by the end of next year.

I was confused to learn of this because this contradicts the advice I have received from nbn co itself. It contradicts the advice available on the NBN rollout timetable. But when I asked for the source of the Liberal MLA's advice, I received no response. It is understandable that the Canberra Liberals would try to sell a good-news story on the NBN. Canberrans have some of the worst quality broadband connections in the country—20 kilometres from our national parliament there are some of the worst connections in the country. They deserve better and I am committed to delivering better. I am asking Canberrans to send a screenshot of their internet speed test result to my office. Send me your speeds and send the Turnbull government a message. You can find instructions how to do so on my website—because if they will not listen, we will show them! (Time expired)