Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I can, and I thank Senator Smith for his particular interest in this area of communications. We as a government have deliberately prioritised underserved areas and regional Australia in the NBN rollout. Today, 70 per cent of premises are able to order an NBN service in regional and non-metropolitan areas. Let me repeat that: 70 per cent of premises able to order an NBN service are in regional and non-metro areas. Around-two thirds of the rollout outside major urban areas will be through fixed line deployment and this will be supplemented, in less dense areas, with fixed wireless and satellite. Together, these technologies are delivering broadband to hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and farms that previously had to rely on poor or non-existent connectivity. So it is a good story for regional Australia.