Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the Prime Minister's flawed copper NBN—an NBN that has experienced significant issues, including installation problems, outages and very slow speeds. As the Prime Minister's copper NBN rolls out, it's becoming increasingly clear that its reliance on outdated technology is leaving consumers stranded. They are facing slow speeds and unacceptably high dropout rates. Dissatisfied consumers are now learning that the government's copper-based fibre-to-the-node plan, not Labor's superior fibre-to-the-premises model, is a dud.

In my electorate of Hindmarsh, I'm seeing an increase in NBN-related complaints from my constituents. Not a day goes by without a constituent contacting me and complaining about the passing of the buck between the service provider and NBN Co. What could have been a nation-building project and a nation-building moment for the country, as envisaged by the then Labor government at the time, has been watered down into a second-rate, patchy and unreliable network. One of the biggest concerns for constituents is the reliability of the NBN. I have to say, I do share their concerns.

On top of reliability concerns, according to the NBN Co, equipment connected over the NBN will not work during a power blackout without the purchase of additional equipment. In some cases, auto-dialling emergency alarms that are in place to alert emergency services or a loved will not work and may require an upgrade. House alarms also may not be compatible. For pensioners and their families, this is a terrifying prospect. On top of the safety concerns, we're paying top dollar for an inferior network. According to CHOICE, Australia is now ranked 50th in the world for broadband speed, with a sluggish 11.1 megabits per second. In comparison—I don't pretend to be an expert on New Zealand's infrastructure, but perhaps the member for New England could assist with his newly-discovered cultural connections to our cousins across the ditch—New Zealand's average speed increased 40 per cent to 14.7 megabits per second. Where does it all end?

On top of these issues I've outlined, we know that there have been significant issues, including installation problems, outages and slow, slow repair times. These are things that constituents tell me every day. For example, one particular constituent who approached me recently from the suburb of Plympton Park in my electorate raised concerns regarding 15 appointments—not one, not two, but 15 appointments—that have been made with her via text from NBN Co to attend and complete the NBN installation on her property. She received her first notice in December 2016 and has since then had 15 appointments made with no actual visits thus far. Only on two occasions has anybody called her back to inform her of a postponement. This is not acceptable, and I can't see how this is acceptable. It is absolutely not acceptable.

In addition to the direct contact with constituents, you only need to listen to talkback radio or read recent letters to the editor in all the major newspapers to hear some of the horror stories around connection problems, dropouts and major technical issues with this government's NBN rollout. Last year, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman found that new complaints about faults on the NBN soared by almost 150 per cent. There was a near 50 per cent increase in new complaints about internet data speeds. Recently, the TIO said that they expect complaints about the NBN to double from the already extraordinary high figure this year.

On this side of the House we are committed to promoting innovation and technology, because we know that with innovation and technology you create jobs and you provide better services for people. Labor's NBN—fibre to the premises—has been butchered by this government, and Australia continues to fall behind. One thing is for sure: a Labor government will support our constituents, including those elderly people who have been ringing my office, by supporting a world-class, reliable internet infrastructure for all Australians. As the government's botched, patchy copper NBN continues its slow rollout across Hindmarsh, I and all of us on this side of the House will continue to fight— (Time expired)