Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is the 500th speech I have made since the people of Cowan first elected me to represent them in federal parliament in November 2007. My three predecessors in Cowan between them made 467 speeches between 1985 and 2007. But today I chose to mark this occasion by again raising an issue that affects many in my electorate, the issue of Internet connectivity. Being a father of two daughters, I understand the place internet has in a modern family home in Australia and how it has become such a necessity for each household and individual. Although a majority of my electorate registers above or around the national average for internet connectivity, there remain a number of areas in which connectivity is poor. In Cowan no two areas are the same in terms of telecommunications issues. In well-established suburbs such as Greenwood and parts of Kingsley, a number of residents live too far from the Hamersley exchange and as a result are limited to broadband wi-fi connectivity, which is expensive and can drop out on occasion. Meanwhile, the Wanneroo area is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia and often lacks the infrastructure required to keep up with the growing demand for port availability in the area. In the eastern and southern suburbs of my electorate, this is a factor for a number of individual cases which affect individual connectivity.

Regardless of the causes which prompt residents to contact me and my office, action has been and will continue to be taken so that our local community gets the best results possible. To date I have met with the Minister for Communications and his office on several occasions, and the Prime Minister's office as well, to highlight the issues facing Cowan, and make our case for the extension of the NBN to the electorate. These meetings are underpinned by my interaction with relevant stakeholders in Telstra, Optus and NBN company, and the need to increase infrastructure investment in the area. Next week I will be meeting with the Malaga and Districts Business Association and the communications minister's office in order to present the needs of the business communities in Cowan.

For six years our opponents talked about the NBN and did not deliver for Cowan. I have made seven speeches regarding the NBN or broadband, I have met with the minister and there has been much correspondence about the overall issues and a great deal about the problems of individuals and businesses. On a number of occasions, with the assistance of Telstra and the Minister for Communications, I am pleased to say that I have successfully alleviated a number of telecommunications issues within Cowan. I am also very happy that the government has made reforms to the NBN that will allow it to be delivered sooner, at less expense to taxpayers, and more affordably for consumers. Already nearly 10,000 premises in Cowan have been listed on NBN's national rollout plan, which serves as a good starting point for more work to be done. I welcome the fact that, in the month of July this year, NBN will release an indicative three-year construction schedule, which will give a forecast of the rollout through to 2018 and give more certainty to businesses and homeowners.

In conclusion, I wish to thank the people of my electorate for affording me the opportunity to represent them and speak for them on 500 separate occasions. I will continue to put their best interests and needs first.