Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is great to be able to talk on this MPI today on the NBN. You have to laugh when people like the member for Whitlam want to talk about their record on the NBN. Labor had such an abysmal record on the NBN between 2007 and 2013. The member for Whitlam was part of that government and part of the decisions that caused the chaos that resulted in the disastrous NBN system that we had to clean up. The rollout was so badly managed by Labor that they missed every single target they set for themselves. They set targets and missed every single one of them. Imagine if you did that in business. You would be going broke. Under Labor, taxpayers paid more than $6 billion for the NBN rollout. Guess how many Australians' premises that passed? Three per cent. Labor's NBN passed just one in 50 premises. We are now at one in four. I could go on and on.

The fact is that Labor's record is appalling. Part of the problem is they were not focused on the people; they were more focused on the politics. Their solution was not really a fibre-to-the-premise one; it was a fibre-to-the-press-release one. Labor's fibre-to-the-press-release solution resulted in disastrous telecommunications for people in my electorate, particularly in North Lakes, for years to come. What did Telstra and other companies do? They said: 'The NBN has come in. We won't bother putting anything in, because Labor is bringing it in.'

I also believe the rollout was politically motivated in parts of marginal seats, particularly in the southern end of my seat right on the border of Petrie and Lilley. There were Labor members there. Their rollout was not done for the benefit of the people but for the benefit of the Labor Party. Their budget blowouts, higher debt and fibre to the premise would have resulted in residents receiving NBN some six to eight years later. In the world we are living in, where businesses need internet connectivity as fast as possible, this is very important. As I said, one in 50 premises were connected under Labor. We are now three years into our term and we are now at one in four and in my electorate at almost 1½.

I say to new members opposite: if you want to get things done, do not listen to your shadow minister and do not listen to the negativity we saw from Labor on this issue at the 2013 election, which they lost, and at the 2016 election, which they lost. In three years time most of the country is going to be done. That is the goal we need to set for ourselves. That is the goal I have set for myself. I talk to the minister. If members opposite have problem suburbs in their electorate, they should talk to the minister. It is okay. It does not matter that it is a coalition minister. You can go and see them. Do not listen to your shadow minister. That is what I encourage you to do.

The very first minister I invited into my electorate when I was campaigning in the 2013 election was the shadow minister for communications, who is now of course the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull. I know that the internet and communications are very important for my electorate. I am very proud to announce that in the last six months almost 20,000 households in Redcliffe have been connected to the NBN or are ready to be connected and the build has begun on another 4,000 houses in Scarborough. The number of premises ready for service is close to 30,000 and about 10,500 have an active service. MPs and senators in the other place, rather than being negative when the debate has been lost at the last two elections, need to be encouraging people to take up a NBN connection and actually connect to the NBN. That is what I would be saying.

I spoke before about North Lakes having a major issue. I am very pleased to say that right now the build is commencing, cables are being laid, in places like Copeland Drive, Discovery Drive, Lakefield Drive, Memorial Drive, Anzac Avenue, parts of Bounty Boulevard, Tuckeroo Parade, Endeavour Boulevard, Freshwater Creek Road and Halpine Drive. There is a lot more work to be done. This NBN is about the people. The government have prioritised jobs and growth, because that is what we know people are interested in, and stability. We need to be encouraging NBN Co to roll out the service as quickly and efficiently as possible for all Australians to benefit.

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