Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on this matter of public importance because, while members opposite claim the government hasn't delivered on its commitment to the NBN, the story of my electorate of Robertson on the Central Coast tells a very different story. I want to look at a real-world example of how we can deliver for people and businesses and how that delivery is done by a government such as happened in my electorate. It is clear, when you look at that, that the only broken promises in my electorate were those made by Labor.

Here are some of the facts. Under the coalition, the NBN, formerly known as NBN Co, has hit every rollout target we have set since coming to government. Compare this to the previous Labor government's record. Three years after the first premise was connected in 2010, the rollout was more than two years behind—so much so that by late 2013, only 51,000 premises were connected, barely 10 per cent more than the original 2010 target. So how can Labor be trusted?

In contrast, under this government, we've got a network which is now available to six million premises and will be available to 11 million premises by 2020. When Labor left government, in contrast, barely 50,000 premises around the country were able to connect. In contrast again, the coalition is connecting 35,000 premises a week— that is, 35,000 a week versus 50,000 in six long years.

On the Central Coast, the record is even more stark. In my electorate of Robertson, the latest report shows around 96 per cent of the rollout is complete, of which two-thirds of premises have taken up an NBN service. That is more than 79,000 premises that are ready for service and more than 53,000 connected. In some areas like East Gosford, Green Point, Kincumber, Yattalunga, Koolewong, Point Clare and Tascott, the take-up rate is more than 80 per cent, which is outstanding. Yet, under Labor's last mismanaged rollout, just under 200 premises in the Robertson electorate were connected to the NBN, despite promises that more than 7,300 homes and businesses could connect to it. Who could forget the sight of the former member for Robertson, Deborah O'Neill, pushing a great big button on the Gosford waterfront and claiming that our region was 'open for business' thanks to the NBN? Yet, despite those claims, 90 per cent of the homes and premises in and around Gosford were actually classified service class zero or service class 1, meaning that, despite all of the fanfare and the press release, people couldn't actually connect. It took months and months of frustration and complaints to overcome the multiple challenges for thousands of homes and businesses that were unable to connect despite the promises made by Labor representatives on the Central Coast.

Labor created this mess and it's taken the coalition government to clean it up and get on with the job. We've recently announced the activation of a fixed wireless tower in Mangrove Mountain which will connect residents to fast, affordable broadband. Fixed wireless serves five per cent of Australians in rural areas, generally outside major towns. It also has the highest satisfaction rating on the NBN and offers speeds of up to 50 megabits per second download and 20 megabits per second upload. The Mangrove Mountain tower will cover more than 170 premises and I'm advised that nearly 20 per cent of premises in central Mangrove and Peats Ridge have already connected in the few months that it's been active. NBN have advised that the Mangrove Mountain tower will provide links to a second site at Kulnura east, then on to a site at Bumble Hill. This will provide the transmission link to other towers, including a site to the south-west at Mangrove Mountain, and also to Wendoree Park and Spencer, which I'm assured are currently in the planning stages. This is great news, in particular for the communities of Spencer and Wendoree Park.

During a public hearing on the Central Coast in August of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network, we heard from local community advocates Belinda Repton and Robyn Downham, who have been tireless campaigners on the issue of broadband and improving mobile phone connectivity and reliability. Robyn described Spencer and the lower Hawkesbury River region as 'one of the last frontiers' and pointed out that it's one hour's drive north of Sydney but still they often feel isolated and neglected. Belinda said that, of the 30 families, 21 are business owners who live in the valley and they rely on the internet to conduct their business. The community expressed frustration at some of the uncertainty around the rollout of the NBN, and they had legitimate concerns about the satellite rollout locally. NBN took this on board and assured residents that the fixed wireless solution would be put in place for them.

This proves that, in contrast to what members opposite are claiming, the coalition government is not only delivering but also listening very carefully and meeting the needs of communities like Spencer. It's very clear that the only broken promises in my electorate are those made by Labor during their last six long years in government.

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