Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to express my very strong support for the National Broadband Network Companies Amendment (Commitment to Public Ownership) Bill 2024, which was introduced by the fabulous Minister for Communications. That's because in the 21st century the digital landscape is transforming how we interact with one another, how our economies grow and how people live and work. Access to the internet is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity, part of everyday life, and it underpins almost every aspect of our lives.

The bill before us today is not just a legislative proposal; it is a commitment to the future, a future where connectivity is a right not a privilege. It is a bold step toward ensuring that all Australians, regardless of their geographic location or socioeconomic status, have access to reliable and affordable internet services. And, I have to say, I would have thought this was particularly attractive to members representing the regions, as I do.

In an age where digital access is essential for education, health care and economic opportunity, we must ensure that our broadband infrastructure is owned and operated in the public interest. We know that in our digital economy those that are left without access are left behind. During the pandemic we witnessed firsthand how critical connectivity was for remote education and accessing health care. That's why it's stunning to see members from the National Party opposing this bill. By committing to public ownership we are ensuring that these essential services are not held hostage by the profit motives of private corporations. Truly, I think most people in Australia are on board with this. We just need those opposite to open their ears and listen to the arguments.

We are also making sure that the NBN workforce have job security. Workers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing their jobs won't be on the chopping block because of privatisation. This bill reaffirms the Albanese Labor government's dedication to public ownership, prioritising the needs of our citizens over profits. We want to make it clear that under the Albanese Labor government the NBN is not for sale. We know how important the NBN is to driving national productivity. And we know how important it is for the transactions that Australians do every day to access health services, to interact with government and to connect with families and friends. It is for this reason that we have made this decision. It's not a complex question here. You either want to keep the NBN in public ownership or you don't.

The bill will make amendments to the National Broadband Network Companies Act 2011 and other small changes to the NBN act and to the Telecommunications Act. These changes will include incorporating new wording to make clear that keeping the NBN preserved in public ownership is an explicit requirement. This builds on the Albanese Labor government's election commitment to retain the NBN in public ownership, to keep broadband affordable and to complete building a world-class fibre network on top of the government's commitment to keep protecting the NBN from privatisation through the statement of expectations issued in 2012. Public ownership fosters accountability and transparency. By keeping our national broadband network in public hands, we can ensure that decisions are made with the community's best interests at heart. This transparency is vital for maintaining public trust. Australians deserve to know where their taxpayer dollars are being spent and how decisions about their connectivity are made. Public ownership will mean that the NBN will be accountable to the people it serves, and writing it into law will further enshrine that.

Let's have a look at the record of members opposite, the coalition, in their rolling out of the NBN, because communities in my electorate of Newcastle have told me very loud and clear that the job of upgrading the NBN is not complete. When the NBN was first proposed by Labor back in 2008, it was envisaged to be a transformative project, one that would connect Australians, boost our economy and position us as a leader in the digital age. However, what we witnessed over the next 10 years, under the coalition's decade of denial and delay, was a litany of mismanagement and unmet promises that left many Australians disappointed, angry and frustrated. Just as they sold out Australia on the privatisation of Telstra, the coalition sold out Australia again on the botched implementation.

Those opposite rolled out a second-rate NBN that relied on the old copper network, instead of Labor's super-fast fibre-to-the-premises NBN. Their decision to pivot from the original fibre-to-the-premises model to a multitechnology mix has had significant long-term ramifications that the Australian public are paying for again and again. As a result, millions of Australians have been left waiting for access to reliable internet that many in urban areas take for granted. Many communities were left with inadequate service, speeds that were once promised fell very short and the reliability of the connection was often inconsistent. In regional and rural communities, the digital divide was further exasperated, limiting opportunities for education, business and connection.

Those opposite rushed out this second-rate NBN, perhaps in order to declare it complete so that they could put it on the block for sale, selling out Australian consumers and regional communities like mine. Residents and businesses in my community were particularly hard-hit by this botched rollout. Only the 2,800 homes and businesses in a very select area of Mayfield were lucky enough to get the real NBN. Everyone else in Newcastle had to put up with this second-rate version that relied on an old copper network. Residents in places like Hamilton, who had good access to good-quality ADSL, were at the top of the former government's rollout list, whilst the people of Kotara, who could not access even low-quality broadband, were left in the dark. Residents in Stockton, Adamstown, Merewether and other places are to this day feeling the impacts of this botched rollout.

Access to high-speed broadband is an essential service, and it's a shame that the former coalition government could not see that. We must learn from these failures. As we move forward, we need a renewed commitment to providing high-quality accessible internet for all Australians—and this means the mistakes of the past and the futureproofing of the NBN. This is something the Albanese Labor government has been working hard to do. We are committed to fixing the dodgy rollout we saw under the previous government which continues to have long-term consequences. Our government has been consulting widely on regional telecommunication services and has received feedback from communities, particularly in rural and regional Australia, that there is strong support for the NBN.

This legislation has been introduced to ensure that it is owned by those who it belongs to—the Australian people. This is in addition to what we've already done, including investing $2.4 billion to expand full fibre across the NBN. That will give access to an additional 1.5 million premises, including 660,000 rural and regional communities—so it is literally gobsmacking that any regional member would speak against this bill. We are rolling out free NBN broadband services to up to 30,000 families under the Australian government School Student Broadband Initiative; delivering fibre upgrades so that more than nine million homes and businesses can access the fastest broadband speeds on the NBN; from September next year, boosting download speeds by up to five times the current speed at no extra wholesale cost—so a household or small business with a 100-megabytes-per-second plan in 2024 will benefit from 500 megabytes per second in 2025; and rolling out more fibre into a fixed-line network, upgrading the fixed-wireless network and planning for our future needs. That's the focus of the Albanese Labor government.

The fibre and fixed-wireless upgrades we took to the 2022 election are being delivered on time and on budget, which is effectively a first for any government—not that we're hearing any thanks from those opposite for ensuring their communities are getting access to properly effective and efficient broadband. Fixed-wireless upgrades are on track to be completed by the end of this year.

This work has seen over 2,300 towers upgraded, speed capability boosted on Fixed Wireless Plus and two new fixed-speed products available. The NBN is on track to deliver our plan for 90 per cent of houses and businesses to have gigabyte access by the end of 2025, and this work is in addition to the fixed-wireless upgrades and has seen over 70,000 kilometres of new fibre being rolled out.

Because of our strong investment in the NBN, Australians are now taking up fibre upgrades in record numbers, which is leading to better customer experience and fewer faults and technicians. By maintaining public ownership, we can continue to prioritise investment in our underserved areas, ensuring that everyone, no matter their postcode, has access to high-quality internet. Moreover, public ownership allows us to focus on long-term goals rather than short-term profits. Keeping the NBN in public hands will provide the NBN company the certainty needed to continue delivering improvements to the network while keeping prices affordable. The NBN is not just about connectivity. It is about building a foundation for innovation and economic growth.

When focus shifts from profit margins to public service, we can invest in the future. This means expanding the network capabilities, upgrading technology and preparing for the demands of tomorrow's digital landscape. Government ownership is essential to delivering our strategy for a more connected Australia, including rolling out more fibre in the fixed-line network and planning for the transition to the next-generation satellites and modernising universal service obligations.

We must consider the global context, of course, when talking about the importance of a good national broadband network, and we know that across the world there have been some very inspiring examples of successful public broadband initiatives. In countries like Sweden and Finland, where public investment in infrastructure has been prioritised, we can see some of the fastest and most reliable internet services available. In the United States, several municipalities have taken it upon themselves to build their own broadband networks. Cities like Chattanooga in Tennessee have demonstrated that public ownership can lead to faster, more reliable services at lower costs than those provided by other companies.

I think the point here is really that there are many, many more examples I could point to, but Australia must not continue to fall behind. Our place in the world depends on our ability to stay connected. By passing this bill, we're positioning ourselves as a leader in digital infrastructure, ensuring that we can compete in the global economy and foster homegrown innovation. The NBN is much more than a utility; it is a catalyst for economic growth and technological innovation. It supports business. It creates new industries and connects our workforce with the rest of the world. From online education to telemedicine, from startups to large corporations, the NBN is a vital resource in the modern economy.

We know there is more to do to get the NBN to the world-leading stage that the Albanese Labor government envisages. That is our ambition for the Australian people, and that is why this bill is so important. This bill is not just about maintaining ownership of the NBN, as important as that is; it is about protecting a vital public asset that serves the interests of all Australians. It's about equity, accountability and ensuring that every Australian can access the opportunities that a reliable broadband network provides. It's a testament to the Albanese Labor government's values and our vision for an inclusive and equitable society. The NBN is a lifeline to the future of our nation, and keeping it in public ownership is essential to continuing to provide modern, accessible, affordable communication services for all Australians. Let us continue to invest in it, protect it and improve it. That's why I am supporting this bill today.

See this speech in context