Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I was recently contacted by Elliot, a member of my community who works in the IT industry, about the NBN in his apartment block. Elliot moved into a new apartment block in Coombs and contacted me, he said, after he had exhausted all other options. His building hasn't had any form of internet for months; he has been without the internet for months. Despite the fact that Elliot's building has been fitted with the devices needed to connect to the NBN, there is still no connection date in sight for this building. Think about it, Mr Deputy Speaker: thousands of dollars of boxes fitted beside this apartment block and doing absolutely nothing. And here is the kicker: NBN Co didn't know and had no record that these devices had actually been installed!

Elliot told me that NBN Co have been completely inconsistent and unprofessional in their requests. They have even requested photos of their own equipment on the property, as they had no record of ever installing anything on the premises. What is so appalling about this is that Elliot has been forced to stop work, as the costs of hotspotting with his phone have become too much. This is a small business owner in my community who has been forced to stop work because of the dysfunctional NBN rollout.

I fought tirelessly to get Canberra, our nation's capital, on the rollout map, and now this is what we're getting—a second-rate service. Prioritise the NBN in Canberra.

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