Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently, I held an NBN crisis meeting in Mullumbimby in my electorate of Richmond. I would like to thank the shadow minister for regional communications, the member for Whitlam, for attending the forum and listening firsthand to the concerns of my constituents. Many residents from Mullumbimby and the surrounding area came along to express their frustration and dissatisfaction with the NBN and with the Turnbull government's appalling record when it comes to the rollout.

I convened the meeting because I had been contacted by so many locals with complaints about the NBN. These complaints include the huge blowout in rollout times, the lack of access, the slow and poor quality connection, the lack of communication between NBN Co and providers, and, of course, the usage of second-rate copper for the NBN. Indeed, some locals even have the continuing problem of paying for a service that is not yet connected or a service that runs on slower speeds than they've been promised. Also, as of August 2017, 40,000 premises in Richmond have no NBN connection, and some residents, including those in Ballina, are not set for completion until 2019. People tell me they are missing out on a vital service and business as a result of poor or non-existent telecommunications. Young people are unable to complete basic work for their primary, secondary and tertiary commitments as a result of poor downloads, slow speeds and constant dropouts. And in regional areas like mine there's great concern for the elderly and those with disabilities, who have limited or no access to crucial communications when they need them. This is unacceptable, and it's completely due to the Turnbull Liberal-Nationals government's poor rollout of the NBN, and it's not good enough. (Time expired)