Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Forrest for moving this motion and raising awareness of the need for fast and reliable broadband in regional areas. The member for Forrest and I have long advocated the need for the National Broadband Network to support small and medium-sized businesses in regional areas. Since my election, I have been working closely with Dobell's small business community to ensure that their broadband needs are addressed.

In Dobell, small businesses collectively is our largest employer, with approximately 8,500 businesses each employing between one to 20 people. Many of our local businesses are family operated and are looking for opportunities to grow and to generate further employment. A major key to driving this expansion is access to fast and reliable broadband.

Sadly, this was lost on the former Labor government. The original NBN rollout plan in the bill failed to consider the needs of our business community. Business centres such as the Tuggerah Business Park, Wyong CBD and The Entrance town centre were completely ignored. The former Labor government failed even to develop answer these important business communities.

The rollout of the NBN in Dobell was so poorly designed that when I was elected not a single premises had access to fast broadband. Today, approximately one-third of homes and businesses in the electorate have access to the NBN, with a further third under construction. It is estimated that the NBN rollout in Dobell will be completed in 2017, providing fast and reliable broadband services to every household and business.

Following this government's election, a comprehensive audit was undertaken to assess the state of broadband infrastructure throughout Australia. Through this process it was identified that the Central Coast lacked the broadband infrastructure capacity to meet the demand of households and businesses. Unlike the former Labor government, this government promptly developed a plan to expedite the delivery of the NBN to regions such as the Central Coast.

I alluded earlier to the Tuggerah Business Park and the lack of consideration by the former Labor government to acknowledge the park in the initial NBN rollout. The Tuggerah Business Park is home to approximately 220 businesses. Sadly, I am aware of businesses that have considered relocating, and some who decided against basing themselves at the park, due to the lack of broadband services. This is particularly worrying news for a region where the unemployment is above the national average and reliance for work is heavily dependent on small business.

In consultation with the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, Minister the Communications, I am pleased to say that the Tuggerah Business Park is now being looked at specifically by NBN Co. As a government, we must support our small businesses to thrive, to improve their productivity and to become competitive against other businesses, both at home and abroad. I recently had the opportunity to welcome Minister Turnbull to the Central Coast, where he met with representatives from local government and the business community to discuss this very topic. Attending the meeting was Mr Edgar Adams, editor and publisher of the Central Coast Business Review. Edgar has long advocated the need for the NBN rollout, with priority access for small businesses. Edgar stated, 'Our region has many disadvantages, not the least being our high youth unemployment and lack of employment opportunities. Addressing these issues is very complex, but the best way to start is to create an environment where our region and those people who live, work and go to school here have every opportunity to approve and advance themselves. Central to Edgar's point is access to infrastructure that allows businesses to grow, prosper and employ more people.

The Central Coast is a perfect destination for start-up and relocating businesses, as it is situated midpoint between Sydney and Newcastle. However, our previous lack of broadband infrastructure was holding our region back. Lack of infrastructure has no doubt contributed to the 38,000-commuter exodus from our region every day. For those who travel to Sydney this means an average daily commute of up to four hours—that is 20 hours per week. Fast broadband is opening up new opportunities for employment based on the Central Coast. The Nexus Smart Hub, located at North Wyong, is an innovative new business, offering an alternative to the daily commute. Commuters can avoid the daily commute by 'hot-desking' at the Nexus Smart Hub. This is made possible through high-speed broadband which supports videoconferencing and large file transfers. I look forward to the day when access to this level of broadband is available all businesses within Dobell. I am proud to say that under this government we are on track to achieving this outcome.

I would like to thank the member for Forrest for moving this important motion and for her interest in supporting regional Australia. I commend the motion to the chamber.

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