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

As someone with a longstanding interest in this portfolio, I'm really pleased to see the Morrison government's commitment to strengthening our economy, creating jobs and supporting our households and communities through the investment in Australia's communications sector that we see in this budget. The National Broadband Network is providing broadband to millions of Australian households and business, including in my electorate of Robinson, where NBN connectivity has enabled productivity gains that allow us to keep pace with the world.

I want to take a moment to talk about further investment in the NBN through the rollout of business fibre zones, as well as regional telecommunications through the Regional Connectivity Program, which will see more businesses and households able to access reliable and fast broadband. Two hundred and forty business fibre zones will be set up across Australia, providing 90 per cent of businesses with access to business-grade fibre at no upfront build cost, a $70 million investment over the next three years which will involve the establishment of 85 business fibre zones in regional centres, including, importantly, two in my electorate of Robertson. Businesses in these business fibre zones will also be eligible for CBD-equivalent wholesale pricing, meaning businesses outside of major cities can access wholesale discounts of up to 67 per cent on their broadband. This will go a long way to eliminating the divide between metropolitan and regional areas in terms of broadband connectivity costs, as well as incentivising businesses to either move to or start in regional Australia, and I certainly hope we do see more businesses established on the Central Coast.

This rollout will allow business to have access to the NBN's highest-quality business-grade service, with businesses provided a choice of symmetrical speeds from 10 megabits per second to close to one gigabit per second. Under this program, businesses located in suburbs like Erina, Gosford, Kincumber, Kariong, Niagara Park, West Gosford and Woy Woy will be able to request a business-grade broadband service at no upfront build cost, through their retailer. I know this rollout has been broadly welcomed by chambers of commerce and business operators operating on the Central Coast. I have spoken in the House before about many business owners, including Rod Dever, who has welcomed the policy from the Erina/Gosford & Coastal Chamber of Commerce, as one that he sees as rectifying the connectivity issues experienced by businesses in the region. There will also be an opportunity for local governments and other organisations to work with NBN Co to explore future areas to become business fibre zones, through a $50 million facilitation fund.

Another initiative that I'm really pleased to see and that I know will benefit the Central Coast community is the new Regional Connectivity Program, which is aimed at improving broadband connectivity in areas outside the NBN fixed-line footprint, complementing the highly successful Mobile Black Spot Program. This $83 million program uses a bespoke place based approach to target investment in areas which are priorities of local regional communities and maximises the economic opportunities, which means that suburbs in my electorate of Robertson, from Somersby to Kulnura, from Gunderman to Mangrove Mountain, are eligible for funding under this program. I know there has been significant interest in this from local communities, industries and state governments from across Australia seeking to apply for funding and to come up with projects which will suit their community needs. I understand that the deadline for applications for this has been extended by a couple of weeks, until 17 November 2020. I would be interested in hearing more about this program from the minister and also the business fibre zones and the Regional Connectivity Program, which of course build on the support delivered by the government earlier this year to help the Australian communications, cybersecurity and the arts sectors through the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes $33 million to Screen Australia to support Australian local film and television content, $5 million in additional funding towards the Public Interest News Gathering program, around $40 million in new funding to the eSafety Commissioner and $23 million to eight arts portfolio agencies impacted by the pandemic. These vital investments in communications infrastructure across the country will improve connectivity and increase the reliability of our communications network. We know that communications infrastructure, of course, does play a critical role in regional and rural Australia, including across the Central Coast. I'm really pleased to see what the government is doing in this regard. Could the minister please further elaborate on the benefits that some of the initiatives that I've outlined will bring, particularly to regional and rural communities across Australia?

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