Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—It is Labor governments that build. It was a Labor government that made the decision to build the National Broadband Network. Then we saw, time and time again, the Liberal Party and the National Party try and block it. We've known that time and time again when it comes to the builders versus the blockers.

We heard just then from the Manager of Opposition Business—the ironic Manager of Opposition Business—who gave us a lecture on 'stupid and pointless'. I think there was nothing more stupid and pointless than choosing copper over fibre. That was the stupid and pointless decision that the Liberal Party made back in 2013. Again, that's why I have no trust when it comes to how those opposite will seek to ruin, wreck, damage and destroy the National Broadband Network for the future. It is essential that we legislate to keep it in public hands. The Australian people have invested in the National Broadband Network. The Australian people rely on the National Broadband Network every day for education, for their jobs and to enjoy the great joys of living in Australia.

We know the privatisation record of those opposite. I know it was the WA Liberals who wanted to privatise Western Power, sending power prices through the roof for Western Australian households. I opposed that, and the Western Australian people backed us on that. We know that the Liberal and National parties sold Medibank Private. They sold it out. Then we also had a grand plan to privatise the Medicare payments threshold. They got to the idea of privatising the Medicare payments threshold because the now Leader of the Opposition couldn't get his plan for a GP tax through. He got so angry and so aggressive that he decided instead to go and try to privatise the Medicare payments.

That is why it is essential that we keep the National Broadband Network in public hands, where it belongs. This bill, the National Broadband Network Companies Amendment (Commitment to Public Ownership) Bill 2024, will make sure that this critical infrastructure, which reaches some 12.4 million premises in Australia, stays in public hands. It is too important to be put into the hands of a private operator or to be sold off to fill some Liberal Party or National Party debt black hole in the future. We know that, currently, 8.6 million homes and businesses across Australia are connected to the National Broadband Network. They connect because of the security provided by a public provider. We owe it to them to give them that security for the future.

This legislation will make a difference. It will remove the legislative framework that would enable the privatisation of NBN Co. It's time to stop that option being on the table. We've been through such a journey in this country. Back on 18 June 2007, we saw the Howard government—of which the now Leader of the Opposition was a minister—dragged kicking and screaming to finally come to a plan where they were going to give $900 million to Elders and Optus to develop an internet network for the regions. After so long doing nothing, they finally said they would do something. They also promised that they would deliver 'a state-of-the-art broadband network with coverage for rural and regional areas'. Again, what we saw was a number of experts come out and blast that $1.9 billion package. Again and again, we saw the then Howard government, of which the now Leader of the Opposition was a key member, try to play catch up, because that's what it was.

It was Labor that in 2007 said, 'We finally need national action for this technology of the future to connect Australians, to connect families—to connect people—to one another through this incredible technology,' which, again, is now relied on by some 8.6 million households and businesses across this country.

I will take the interjections from those opposite. They come in here and tell us how much they wish broadband services could've improved if only they'd been in government for almost a decade and if only they'd taken that opportunity! Rather than trying to trash the NBN, which is what they spend all their time doing, they went through these outdated technologies of copper—copper didn't work when it rained and when there was electrical interference, and, at best, it would give you 25 megabits per second—because they couldn't bring themselves to ever admit that fibre was better.

They couldn't bring themselves to admit that.

When those opposite last came into government and were developing their policies, this was the dominant view of the Liberal and National parties. We had then opposition leader Abbott tell former opposition leader Turnbull he wanted him to 'demolish' the government's National Broadband Network. That was their stated policy goal—to demolish the National Broadband Network. Then the former Leader of the Opposition, who became a future Prime Minister, Turnbull declared the NBN would be the absolute focus of this with that goal to destroy it.

I'll just remind the Australian people how much the Liberal Party and the National Party struggled to understand the importance of broadband. What we saw was then opposition leader Abbott describe it as 'essentially a video entertainment system'. I dare anyone opposite to say that in their electorates today. It is so much more. It is essential for small business. I stand up for my small businesses, and I know they need the NBN. If you want to sell it off, if you want to sell it out, if you want to stick them with copper, by all means do it.

We then had the tech genius the then Leader of the Opposition tell us, 'We are absolutely confident that 25 megs is going to be enough, more than enough, for the average household.' Tell that to practically anyone in Australia today. We then had the network explained to us by the then Leader of the Opposition, who said, 'All those people sending messages from their iPhones and Blackberries, all those people sitting in airport lounges using their computers, they don't rely on fixed line services.' I hope that in the 10 years since those opposite have learnt that actually wi-fi eventually does connect to the fixed line service. The fixed line service and the backhaul network, of which the National Broadband Network is an essential part, do matter.

Again, those opposite said they wanted to axe the National Broadband Network and get it out of the way. We had the then Leader of the Opposition come out and say, 'The National Broadband Network is a luxury Australia cannot now afford.' But we know that was completely the wrong call. We couldn't afford the delays in action and the copper obsession of the Liberal and National parties. And then they promised probably the biggest lie of all, which was, 'I want our NBN rolled out within three years, and Malcolm Turnbull is the right person to make this happen.' Not only did it not roll out in three years; Malcolm Turnbull was definitely not the right person to make it happen.

But now we are making progress again on getting fibre and fast broadband to the people and small businesses of Australia. Earlier this month we reached the milestone—and this is something we can all celebrate—of nine million Australian homes and businesses being able to make the switch to ultrafast NBN. That means that 90 per cent of people on the fixed line NBN network can get access to up to one gigabyte of data per second by the end of 2025. Compare that to the measly 25 megabits a second that was being offered by the Liberal Party and the National Party: it is a significant improvement.

When I think about what that means to some 82,000 households and businesses in my electorate, I know it means they now have the benefits of fibre broadband. I know because it was the story of my household even. We were on the coalition's old copper network. It was so unreliable that we couldn't use that network. Now, thankfully, we're on the fibre network.

I know that benefits families in Ashfield, Bassendean, Bayswater, Bedford, Coolbinia, Dianella and East Perth. They are all getting access to fibre NBN, but it does not stop there. Eden Hill, Embleton, Highgate, Inglewood and Joondanna are all getting access to fibre NBN, something they were denied by those opposite. Leederville, Maylands, Menora, Morley, Mount Hawthorn, Mount Lawley, North Perth, Northbridge, Osborne Park and Perth are all getting access to fibre NBN, as well as Tuart Hill, West Perth and Yokine. It means that families get not only the benefits of fast broadband but the benefits of saving, on estimates from the National Broadband Network itself, more than 100 hours and $2,580 in travel costs a year.

What we know now is that the average home has some 22 connected devices on average. That, again, means that the 25-megabits-per-second unreliable copper that those opposite tried to sell for so long does not do the job.

If I think about what that really means for families, where you've got students we're not just trying to act by cutting their HECS debt or giving them access to fee-free TAFE; we're trying to give them the tools of learning for the 21st century, giving them ultrafast broadband. When it comes to supporting small businesses and people who are starting new businesses, again, the tool and the access to start that new business is ultrafast broadband—whether it be at your business or home.

When it comes to people who might be looking to spend more time with family and friends, we've got the great benefits of being connected through videoconferencing, which doesn't require as much travel—as I just said, reducing and saving up to 100 hours, and reducing people's carbon footprint. It makes a huge difference. Again, what I know from my constituents is that they want broadband.

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