Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to be able to talk about this matter of urgency tonight in the short 10 minutes that I have. I certainly support the full rollout of NBN—not just fibre to the node but fibre to the home. I would like to pay tribute to Senator Ludlam, who I am sure would also like to be here tonight speaking on this topic, because he has done an incredible amount of work with Labor over the years by participating in committees and pushing this policy agenda.

Technology moves on exponentially. I reviewed a plan that the Greens had put in 20 years ago for building a tech industry in Tasmania. Back then, a printer cost nearly $4,000. They talked about businesses sending faxes to each other to share information. In that period, we have gone from some people having really basic PCs to suddenly everyone carrying an iPhone. When I look at my house, what used to be just one internet connection on the PC is now six and counting—four handheld devices, one gaming console and an Apple. Most average households have a lot more than that. They have up to 10 devices that rely on wireless and rely on broadband. It makes a lot of sense that if you are going to put in nation-building infrastructure with a capacity to provide broadband for homes and businesses—this is not just about consumers; it is also about business—do it all up front and do it well. What is the point of going through this half-cocked by putting through fibre to the node and then copper to the home, when in 10 years' time demand is going to have at least quadrupled, if not more, for broadband bandwidth and we will have to do it then?