Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Senator Fifield, and I ask: can the minister update the Senate on the rollout of the Sky Muster satellite NBN service?

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

I bring good news. I am very happy to be able to advise the chamber that, after a one-day delay occasioned by inclement weather in French Guiana, Sky Muster II successfully launched last Thursday. It would be fair to say that 'Thunderbirds are go'! Sky Muster II is now 36,000 kilometres above us. It is going to undergo several months of testing before it is in customer service. As colleagues would know, this is the sister satellite to Sky Muster I; and it will raise the NBN's satellite network capacity to 135 gigabits per second, which is about 30 times the capacity of Labor's appalling interim satellite service.

Sky Muster I has been in commercial use since May; Sky Muster II will significantly augment its capacity. Sky Muster I, Sky Muster II and the fixed wireless rollout of the NBN are a very practical demonstration of the NBN's premise, which is that no Australian will be left behind when it comes to good broadband connection. Already 30,000 Australians in regional areas are connected to Sky Muster. Sky Muster covers 400,000 premises around the nation, and ultimately we expect that around 200,000 people will hook up to sky muster. This is a good story—in contrast to that of Labor's interim satellite service, where $351 million was spent. They said 250,000 people would be able to hook up; they only had enough capacity for 45,000 people. (Time expired)

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. This is good news. Can the minister give us even more good news and advise how the coalition's multi-technology mix is delivering the NBN faster and at lower cost?

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

As I have shared with colleagues before, the coalition is not taking a theological approach to the NBN, as was the case under the former Senator Conroy. We are taking a technology-agnostic approach, which means the mandate for the NBN is that it can use the technology that makes sense in a given area and can see the NBN rolled out fastest and at lowest cost. The great news is that, as a result of that approach, NBN is now available to 3.2 million premises nationwide—that is more than a quarter of the population. By the middle of next year, the NBN will be available to 50 per cent of Australian premises. By the middle of the year after that, it will be available to 75 per cent of Australian premises. By 2020, it will be available to all Australian premises. The NBN will be completed six to eight years sooner than would have been the case under our predecessors and at a cost of $30 billion less. We want to see Australians get the NBN, and get it soon—and, under us, they will.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate how the Turnbull government's faster rollout of the NBN will benefit all Australians?

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

One of the important things when rolling out a national broadband network is that you only get the full national economic benefits once the entire nation has it. So what we as a government have had a laser-like focus on is ensuring that Australians get the NBN as soon as possible. Under our predecessors, the NBN was essentially a failed project. After the best part of six years and $6½ billion, only 51,000 people were paying customers. Contractors had downed tools in four states. As a result of the groundwork put in place by Mr Turnbull when he was the Minister for Communications, the NBN is on track and on budget. NBN as an organisation has met every rollout and financial milestone over the last 10 quarters. Australians will get the NBN—many of them have it already—and they will get it a darn sight sooner under us than under those opposite.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.