Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 23 May the Mayor of Tea Tree Gully, Miriam Smith, and I launched the Modbury Digital Hub at the City of Tea Tree Gully Library. The hub was funded by a $375,870 federal government grant to Tea Tree Gully Council and is one of around 40 similar hubs around Australia. Its purpose is to provide free digital literacy training for all skill levels, to help communities gain the skills needed to maximise the benefits provided by the National Broadband Network.

For young people born and raised in a cyberworld, the use of cybertechnology comes as second nature. For many older people, however, it is a different story. The limitless and rapidly changing technology can be overwhelming and initially confusing, yet we know that cybertechnology, if used correctly, can be of equal benefit to all people regardless of age. The new hub at Modbury will enable people to understand and familiarise themselves with many cybertechnology applications, in readiness for the National Broadband Network connection. I encourage residents who are not familiar with cybertechnology to visit the Modbury Digital Hub, to see for themselves the range of applications available and to learn how to make the most of the NBN connection when it becomes available. I have no doubt that the high-speed National Broadband Network will change our lives even more than internet use already has.

Australians have patiently waited for the existing old copper wire technology to be replaced, because they understand the multitude of applications that are possible with a high-speed, reliable service. Rolling out a new national infrastructure project of the NBN's scale has not been without problems but, contrary to the utterances of the critics and the knockers, led by the leader of the coalition, Tony Abbott, the NBN rollout is well underway across Australia, including here in Makin where, as at 14 May 2013, construction work to connect 16,600 homes has already begun. The government's fibre-to-the-home proposal has withstood the scrutiny of industry experts and IT commentators and, clearly, remains the best way to take Australia into the future with cybertechnology.

The alternative proposal, which has been put forward by the Tony Abbott coalition, is best described as a second-rate scheme, using outdated infrastructure, that will leave many households no better served than they presently are. My concern is that with an election in September, if there were to be a change of government, homeowners and businesses for whom NBN connection is now within sight and who have been waiting patiently for their connections will be left stranded because the coalition plan will simply not deliver the modern infrastructure that enables consumers to maximise and fully benefit from the technology available and the applications that are possible.

Why is Labor's fibre-to-the-home NBN so much better than the coalition's copper plan? Fibre lasts much longer than copper and allows much faster speeds. The speed can be upgraded far more simply and cheaply by replacing the technology at each end of the cable, rather than digging up the cable itself. Unlike a fibre network, the coalition's plan will require an electrical supply, cooling system and so on to each node. Surely, this will only add to the complexity and maintenance costs, not to mention that our streets will be littered with around 60,000 refrigerator like cabinets at close intervals to extend the reach of ADSL on copper. Copper bandwidth drops sharply with distance and only lasts around 30 years, adding considerably to future maintenance costs. Fibre, on the other hand, lasts 60 to 100 years, operates at higher speeds and offers much more bandwidth.

Furthermore, no electrical components are required in between the exchange and the premises and the fibre is unaffected by water, which is a common problem with copper. The coalition's copper network will not have the same capacity and will, very likely, be obsolete by the time it is completed. It is already an eight-year-old proposal. Under the coalition's plan, if users want to upgrade and replace an inadequate copper connection with a superior fibre-to-the-home connection they will have to pay for it themselves. Some estimates put this cost at up to $5,000. It seems far more sensible and efficient to build a network that will support the speeds people need now, and into the future, in one go.

The coalition's plan will cost a similar amount to the NBN, yet deliver an inferior service. Adding to delays, construction plans will have to be redeveloped and contracts with Telstra will need to be renegotiated. Contrasted with a roll-out plan which is well underway and ramping up, it would be foolishly optimistic to expect the alternative coalition service to even be rolled out and completed any faster than the government's NBN roll-out timetable. As Minister Albanese said in question time today, the government's fibre network is bringing 21st century technology right to people's homes where it is needed. The coalition would rather take us back to the past.