Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would also like to ask the minister about the National Broadband Network and how, under Labor's National Broadband Network every home and business will be able to connect to the NBN by 2021, and some areas sooner than others such as mine and the member for Chifley's. I understand that 11.8 million premises will be directly connect by fibre.

I also note that the coalition has a document which proposes to connect only 2.8 million premises directly to fibre, mostly premises in new developments, and that will mean that there will be nine million Australian households and businesses that would disconnected from Labor's NBN unless they pay up to $5,000 for it, leading to some quite perverse results, including, as I know you are aware, minister, and reported in the Blacktown Advocate on 22 April that:

Blacktown will become a city of broadband haves and have nots under the coalition's watered-down version of the National Broadband Network.

I also note that National Party policy 2012-13 states as follows:

The Nationals' policy is to place a priority on rolling out fibre optic cable to the majority of consumers in regional Australia first.

The NBN, as I know you are aware, minister, will deliver fibre to the home to 70 per cent of regional premises, which I know the member for Page would be very interested in as well. I note that the Nationals' Senator Joyce said in 2009 that the National Broadband Network is 'truly the Nationals' broadband network' as it has been 'lifted', according to Senator Joyce, straight from the Page Research Centre's position paper in 2005 into telecommunications. The senator said, 'How could we disagree with something that is quite evidently our idea?'

As you may be aware, minister, the National Party appears to have rejected that now think that regional Australia can make do with a fibre-to-the-node model. I also draw attention to the coalition's document which states that nine million premises will be served what former senator Nick Minchin described in 2009 as 75,000 'large equipment cabinets' similar in size to large refrigerators connected to mains power, including fans or air conditioners. I did not say this, the then Senator Minchin said: 'I do not think anybody would really want one of these large cabinets outside their home'.

Minister, you may also have seen and been aware of what Senator Nash has said about the coalition's plan and what it would mean for regional Australia. In 2007 she said:

The people of rural and regional Australia know a furphy when they see one. It is widely understood in the telecommunications industry that FTTN will not deliver improved broadband speeds for rural and regional areas.

The senator also said about fibre to the node, 'It is a furphy. It is fraudulent.'. Senator Nash said:

In spruiking their flawed fibre-to-the-node plan Labor are doing one of two things: they are either deluding themselves and at the same time the Australian public if they think FTTN will deliver high-speed broadband to rural and regional areas, or they are being deliberately deceitful and are trying to trick the public into supporting a plan they know is flawed.

I also note Senator Boswell said: 'Fibre to the node just will not work in rural and regional Australia'. And while on the subject of rural and regional Australia, as an aside, minister, you may also be aware of the principle in Labor's NBN of wholesale equivalent of pricing, whereas the alternative document proposes to get rid of this and exacerbate the digital divide not only on accessibility but also affordability as between regional and metropolitan areas. I also note former BT CTO Peter Cochrane said, 'fibre to the cabinet is one of the biggest mistakes humanity has made'.

As I said in parliament yesterday, statistics have shown that Labor's NBN, prior to the coalition releasing its alternative, had the support of 73 per cent of Australians. That figure actually went up afterwards to be 78 per cent support from people compared to the alternative. So my question, minister, is: what are the benefits of rolling out fibre to 11.8 million homes and businesses in Australia?

See this speech in context