Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bushby for his question and long interest in the nation's largest infrastructure project. Through you, Mr President, I am very pleased to advise colleagues that today four million Australian homes and businesses can now access the NBN. That is four million and 46 thousand to be exact, or one-third of the nation. That is one million additional homes and businesses in just six months.

From the far north of Queensland to Bunbury in WA, the NBN is being switched on at almost 30,000 workplaces and homes each and every week. With this scaling up, the NBN is on track to be available to half of Australian homes and businesses by the middle of the year. And the great news is that the benefits of the NBN are now being felt around the nation. As you would know, Mr President, distance education students can now see their classmates by video; regional wineries can operate their head offices from the cellar door; and families can get their bills paid, homework completed and shopping done all at the same time.

It would be easy to forget, if I did not remind colleagues, that things were not always like this. Between 2010 and 2013 there were only 51,000 premises connected to the NBN. That is not 51,000 in one electorate or one state; that is 51,000 premises in the entire nation. So we have made dramatic progress since the change in 2013. And the NBN will be finished six to eight years sooner than would have been the case under those opposite. (Time expired)