Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister BC—before the coup—in his previous incarnation as communications minister, promised all Australians they would have access to the NBN by the end of 2016. I know you would know that, Deputy Speaker, because it is on page 6 of the coalition's April 2013 policy document, The coalition's plan for fast broadband and an affordable NBN. On current estimates released by the government, the people of Moreton will be waiting until 2018 to get Mr Turnbull's second-rate NBN. Not only is the NBN rolling out slower than promised; it is much more expensive. The original costings for the second-rate NBN were $29.5 billion, as priced in the April 2013 document. The cost has now ballooned to $56 billion. Malcolm's mangled monster has doubled in cost.

Moreton residents are concerned about the very poor internet service they have at present, and further delay adds insult to injury. Under Labor's NBN, 93 per cent of homes and businesses would have been provided with the super-fast version of the NBN: fibre-optic cable delivering speeds of one gigabit per second. Mr Turnbull's second-rate version promised every home and business access to 25 megabits per second by the end of 2016. Mr Turnbull has failed to live up to even that second-rate promise. The Abbott-Turnbull government have managed, in under two years, to increase the deficit, increase unemployment and spoil the NBN, the device that was going to boost productivity for so many Australians. My Moreton constituents will be paying twice as much for a service that is nowhere near as good as the Labor plan and is taking longer to deliver. The Liberal government is talking about the future but still living in the past.

The internet is now an integral part of our lives. We rely on it every day. Our business communications are mostly through the internet, via email. Australia Post knows this. Social media is now a big part of our lives. We connect to our peer groups through that medium on a regular basis, at work and at home. Services are becoming more accessible remotely through the availability of Skype and other face-to-face videoconferencing. There are huge benefits to remotely accessing services such as health—not just to people in remote areas, even in suburban Brisbane. Time is saved through less travel and less congestion on the roads for people in suburban areas like Moreton.

These services are available in some industries now, and they will become much more common when we all have access to high-speed internet. Sadly, that will not be by the end of 2016, as promised by Mr Turnbull as communications minister. For some people in my electorate, this will not be until 2018 and beyond—and Moreton is a suburban seat!

I am having a briefing with representatives from nbn co later today to ask them what they can do for my constituents, who will be left with a very poor internet connection for another three years. This is a shame.