Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What my electorate needs is the real national broadband network, the one that seems to be lauded in all the advertising. What my electorate does not deserve is the current patchwork rollout that divides neighbour from neighbour based on internet speeds and the connection types they can access at their homes.

Some parts of my electorate do not even have access to ADSL. Suburbs like Hoxton Park, West Hoxton and Green Valley have been waiting more than eight years for promised connections. However, if you live in Long Point in my electorate, where my constituents do not even have mobile coverage, you could be forgiven for thinking that the NBN rollout has left you behind. They have lost count of the number of rollout dates NBN Co has committed to, despite neighbouring suburbs already being connected.

Kim Awad is a working mother in this area. Her children rely on decent internet access for their education. At her address there is no fixed line broadband available due to the poor quality of existing infrastructure. Furthermore, she cannot afford the cost of a Telstra mobile broadband service. To access a more affordable provider, Kim has had to affix to the roof of her house a truck aerial, which affords her access between midnight and 5 am, when the service is not too overloaded. Despite many inquiries to NBN Co, Kim remains frustrated and confused by the inability of that organisation to deliver a clear answer on a rollout date at her residence.

Unfortunately, however, Kim's story is not unusual. Another resident at Long Point, Fabian Perez, told me:

We have only been able to access ADSL, but at speeds of just 1.5 mbps. It is barely enough for a household of six people trying to study, work and use the internet at the same time.

Fabian goes on to say:

The Long Point area also has limited mobile phone reception with all carriers (Vodafone, Telstra & Optus). I have complained to our current provider and they have advised that there is nothing they can do as it is not worth the upgrade.

… … …

Eventually, when the NBN is installed, we will have a phone line that is dependent on power. Living in a bushfire prone area with one road in and out, minimal mobile phone reception and no fixed phone line available, this poses a serious risk to my family and other residents.

It is absurd that something like this could be happening in a country like Australia in this day and age. This government is rolling out a network built on archaic technologies that are slower and at the same price. More than that, this mess is actually putting people out, cutting connections and simply making things worse for their families. For many of my constituents, there is simply a sense of disappointment at what the government is delivering.