Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to raise two issues in this discussion. One is a very important issue for the electorate of Barton, and that's the quality and rollout of the NBN. The National Broadband Network was an initiative launched by Labor in 2007, aiming to deliver high-speed internet and to bring Australia into the 21st century. Ten years later, the coalition is delivering a second-rate NBN, and Australians are paying the price for it, particularly in the electorate of Barton. In early 2017, Labor called on the government to abandon the copper rollout where possible, and we asked them to adopt fibre to the curb.

I recently met Steve Re of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers' Association in Bexley in my electorate. Steve tells me that his business is very dependent on high speed internet. They waited some 15 months for the NBN. Out of frustration, Steve turned to a private fibre connection provided by Telstra. This means his business is spending an extra $8,000 a year on an alternative connection while he waits for the rollout in his area.

Other suburbs in my electorate, such as Hurstville, Beverly Hills, Bardwell Park and Bardwell Valley, are also desperately in need of a decent NBN. They will receive the slower and older HFC technology. Between 2017 and 2018, suburbs in the electorate received an average of a five-month increase in their reported availability time. This only adds further frustration and uncertainty to residents and businesses in the electorate. I will continue to fight for fibre in Barton, because a first-rate NBN is vital for jobs, education and quality of life.

I wanted to mention an initiative in Barton called Laugh your Head Off. Officeworks in Carlton is raising funds for cancer support by donating a portion of each of its sales. Officeworks will give customers the option of rounding up their purchases to the nearest dollar. This amount will be donated to the Laugh Your Head Off campaign, which is a charity that raises funds for cancer research and support. It will be raising funds for the Sydney Neuro-Oncology Group. Its founder, Martha Rice, has been battling cancer since she was a teenager. Despite her very significant hurdles, Martha has dedicated her life to raising awareness for cancer research. I'm thrilled to see that such a simple but clever initiative can help make such a difference. It is fantastic to see local businesses team up with the community and come together for this great cause. Congratulations to Martha Rice and Officeworks at Carlton. I wish them every success in this very important fundraising endeavour.