Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I just want to acknowledge the hard work by our communications minister on including a number of suburbs in Macarthur in the fibre-to-the-premises upgrades to the NBN recently. This $2.4 billion investment will allow residents, including residents of Macarthur, and businesses to take advantage of faster internet speeds and more reliable internet connections, which are increasingly important parts of a modern society and economy. Additionally, investments such as the Peri-Urban Mobile Program, the PUMP, provide Macarthur with much-needed phone connectivity. For a number of years, particularly during the years of the former government, my office received almost daily calls from constituents who were struggling to work from home, to contact their families and friends and to complete their studies in online courses.

Macarthur is one of the fastest-growing electorates in the country, and it still has subpar NBN connection in regional suburbs and poor mobile phone connection—or even a complete lack thereof—in some areas of wider Macarthur. Investments and grants in relation to communications infrastructure in areas like Macarthur are integral to a functioning modern society, and I'm proud that the Albanese government, through Michelle Rowland, our communications minister, is committed to such upgrades. Initiatives such as the School Student Broadband Initiative and the full fibre upgrade program announced early last month will provide up to 30,000 unconnected families with school aged children with free NBN connections for 12 months and provide speed upgrades for schools and organisations. I have more than 80 schools in my electorate. However, more work still needs to be done.

As the federal representative of the largest electorate by population in the country, I say that a strong and resilient communications network is vital for a society such as ours. In my own field of health care it is even more vital, as we are moving towards a connected health system via the internet. In my electorate of Macarthur we have a large university, including a large university healthcare campus, and these connections are absolutely vital to ongoing student support and ongoing research.

Further to this, there are suburbs in my electorate bound to internet connectivity contracts with private providers unable to access the NBN. Therefore, in having no alternatives, these areas face more issues, dealing with a limited provider that often has very poor service. I'm incredibly proud of the work done by my government, but I call for an increase in such investment in the new peri-urban areas of Macarthur, which are dependent on the internet. In times of national emergency, like the Black Summer bushfires, we depend on proper connectivity. I'm proud to be part of a government that champions equitable access to high-speed broadband and phone connections.

See this speech in context