Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Superfast broadband is coming to more than 88,000 homes and businesses in my electorate of Brisbane under an accelerated three-year rollout of the NBN. Across Australia, the NBN is powering ahead with the release of an updated and comprehensive construction plan to network 9.5 million premises nationwide. This year, many of those projects in Brisbane will finally get underway. With the release of the NBN's full construction schedule, we can see how well Brisbane is to benefit from the rollout. Not only will tens of thousands of Brisbane locals enjoy high-speed connections but they will get those connections at a cheaper and faster rate than under Labor's failed attempt at this policy.

Rollout progress under Labor was slow and costly. The nbn co only managed to connect 51,000 premises to its networks during the term of the previous government. An editorial in the Australian Financial Review on 15 October said that Labor had no credibility in this area. It described Labor's plan for the NBN as 'an expensive joke'. The coalition government recognises that consumers want fast broadband as soon as possible. The services available over the NBN will allow families to stream movies, surf the net and complete schoolwork online—and all at the one time. Businesses will also benefit from the vastly greater bandwidth available.

Much of the rollout in my electorate will see the exciting use of hybrid fibre coaxial, or HFC, technology. HFC technology will serve around four million premises connected to the NBN. This is absolutely fantastic news for thousands of homes in Albion, Alderley, Clayfield, Gordon Park, Grange, Kedron, Lutwyche, Newmarket, Stafford, Wilston, Windsor and Wooloowin. They will be connected, with many more suburbs to come. The nbn co's three-year plan for Brisbane outlines that an estimated 19,600 premises in the CBD from Red Hill to Bardon and Herston will be started this year. An extra 1,400 premises in New Farm and surrounding suburbs will also see projects start this year—and a whopping 30,700 premises in Albion, Alderley, Clayfield, Gordon Park, Grange, Kedron, Lutwyche, Newmarket, Stafford, Wilston, Windsor and Wooloowin will also start this year. This is absolutely fantastic news. That is why I am so proud of this government's management of the NBN—because by 2018 the majority of my electorate is going to be connected to this incredible and amazing network.