Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] For access to the internet, as we've just heard from the member for Scullin, a good-quality, reliable connection is becoming more and more important. We've seen that, of course, through this global pandemic, with many people working and studying from home. That's why I am so pleased that federal Labor has announced that, if we were elected, the communities right across my electorate the Franklin would stand to benefit from Labor's NBN plan—a $2.4 billion plan to expand fibre access to more than 1.5 million premises across Australia.

In my electorate it will mean that 7,600 homes and businesses currently stranded on the Liberals copper will get access to fibre under Labor's policy. Communities such as Lauderdale, Rokeby, Margate and Huonville will have the potential to benefit from Labor's plan. Labor's plan will run fibre to these homes and business, giving Tasmanians relying on copper-wire connections the choice to upgrade their homes to fibre if they want faster speeds. Not only will this policy deliver faster internet speeds; it will also create jobs in our local community. It's a significant announcement for Tasmania, and it's specifically significant for the communities in the outer suburban and regional areas in my electorate.

We also announced that we would keep the NBN in public hands. We know that it is critical for the rollout of fibre to the home and reliable internet to keep the NBN in public hands, where it can do the job it was always intended it do and benefit our communities.