Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I never actually noticed before that the previous speaker had a speech impediment, but 'fraudband' is probably the accurate descriptor for what the former Labor government tried to put in place. Gilmore is one of the electorates where the NBN has for some time been an integral part of the infrastructure build. Our community was excited and thrilled that our region was one of the initial sites under the last government, but planning for such a project really needs to be very thorough and very meticulous. Is it any wonder that the Labor government's delivery schedule was overshadowed by extensive delays and cost blow-outs when it chose a place such as Kiama for an underground connection without doing a geological study first? The cost was horrendous because Kiama is built on basalt. In the early days, bluestone quarrying was the major local industry, so it is no wonder their drills broke, their times went out and the cost blew out.

Is it any wonder that by 2013, only two per cent of the premises across Australia could access the NBN? There was not even technology in place to connect multidwelling properties. The coalition quickly resolved this issue and then developed a more affordable and efficient connection plan. In the first three years of NBN connection under Labor, only 51,000 premises were connected. By the end of 2015, just two years later, the coalition government had over 700,000 premises able to connect. The most recent update with NBN multimixed technology is that 1.7 million homes and businesses are now able to connect. This accelerated rollout will ensure that regional and remote regions get NBN connectivity faster and much more affordably. By late 2018, it is predicted that we will have 75 per cent coverage across Australia for homes and business premises. The construction is, in fact, underway.

Based on our rollout schedules for our current boundaries, Gilmore will be well above the national rollout figure, with 89 per cent of our homes and business premises able to connect to the NBN—significantly higher than the national average. As with all new types of technologies, there can be glitches and hiccups, and our community members are encouraged to contact my office with any such incidences. We endeavour to resolve these as quickly as possible, working closely with the provider services and the NBN regional managers. We recognise that consumers, particularly in the regions, need fast NBN for education, for research and, more recently, for health training and conferencing and even, at times, for diagnosing and treatment strategies. While negotiating some of the aspects of the NBN rollout, it was identified that a skilled workforce was going to be required. The NBN co-developed a Career Start campaign to begin the recruitment and training process. This is part of a $40 million industry development program that is aimed at stimulating employment.

In my electorate office, we receive a number of emails requiring assistance, some erroneously quoting earlier rollout schedules, completion dates and a smaller budget expenditure. We carefully explain that while on paper this may have been the case, it actually is not worth the paper it was printed on. Labor's schedule was late on delivery, with only 51,000 premises completed by September 2013, after three years of media hype and social media fakery. The costs were extraordinary. The NBN's 2016-18 corporate plan reveals that a full fibre-to-the premise strategy would not have been completed until 2026 or possibly 2028, a good six to eight years later than our current strategy. In addition, the cost estimates are between $20 million and $30 million more than our current plan.

Australians are amongst the most tech savvy consumers in the world. As I understand it, we have the highest per capita ownership across the world of mobile phones, computers, laptops, iPads and other portable devices. Each one of those puts a drag demand on available services. We absolutely need to get this connectivity out there as soon as possible. And, keep in mind, we are also one of the most innovative technology nations in the world. The current technology is not the panacea for NBN. Fibre is not the end point of technology connectivity; it is merely an evolutionary stage. So why on earth would we, as a nation, waste the $20 million to $30 million on a technology that, within a decade, is most likely to be outdated? It is far better to use a mix to get more Australians connected more quickly, more efficiently and with more of a cost-benefit application that will enable us to save the taxpayer dollars so we can put in the new technology at a later date.

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