Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the review of the National Broadband Network rollout. It is a very important review. Broadband is already rolling out in the Riverina, certainly in Wagga Wagga. My good friend Joe Dennis was in Wagga Wagga just recently talking about the National Broadband Network. Parts of Wagga could have internet download speeds of 140 megabytes per second as early as mid-next year, according to NBN Co. Representatives were in the city on 6 March to dispel myths about the controversial multibillion-dollar project and to inform outlying areas of fewer than 1,000 premises about the services which will become available as part of the rollout. Mr Dennis, who is a consultant with NBN Co., said the rollout will be staggered. It will happen incrementally in three-month blocks, he said. The trouble with the NBN rollout is that it is just too slow and the take-up rate is not as high as the government would like. I can see the member for McEwen shaking his head. But I am correct on that: it is too slow and the take-up is not high enough. The trouble with this whole project was that it was initially going to cost $38 billion. We do not actually know what the figure might be now; it could be $50 billion or it could be $55 billion. The member for McEwen is again shaking his head. I am sure he will correct me and say no, it is going to come in under budget and on time. But it is just not going to happen.

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