Labor’s NBN upgrades: Delivering fast and affordable internet

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, in 2013, that ‘‘we are absolutely confident that 25 megs (Mbps) is going to be enough, more than enough, for the average household,” a forecast award-winning Australian journalist Adam Turner placed in the tech world’s Short-sighted Hall of Fame.
 
With a 25Mbps connection, downloading a 5GB file (a large software file or update, video game, or HD/4K movie) takes around 30 minutes. At 1Gbps – available with a full fibre connection - the same task takes less than one minute.
 
Australians have always known a fast and affordable publicly-owned National Broadband Network (NBN) is essential for a modern economy.
 
The Albanese Government is delivering on its vision for a world-class fibre NBN – and we are finishing what we started.
 
Last week, we announced an equity injection of up to $3 billion into NBN Co to upgrade the remaining Fibre to the Node (FTTN) network.
 
This will see an additional 622,000 premises move off the deteriorating copper network. More than half will be in regional Australia.
 
Families and businesses in our regions and suburbs should have equal access to the opportunities the NBN delivers.
 
After all, Labor founded the NBN in 2009 on this principle.
 
Fast broadband enables more people and devices to be online at the same time with minimal disruptions.
 
This means smoother streaming, faster downloads and uploads, and stronger connections – even with multiple devices online at the same time.
 
But it’s not just about entertainment and seamless streaming. Fast broadband supports access to essential government services, banking and telehealth.
 
It enables us to learn and work online.
 
Local businesses around Newcastle and across regional Australia can take their products to the world just as easily as those in Sydney or any major capital.
 
Labor’s upgrades will see an additional 164,000 businesses and households across metro and regional NSW benefit from fibre. Around 16,500 of these premises are in Newcastle, and surrounding areas, like Lake Macquarie and parts of Port Stephens.
 
This builds on the Albanese Government’s $2.4 billion outlay to upgrade an additional 1.5 million premises to full fibre by the end of 2025. We are delivering this commitment on time and on-budget.
 
More than 145,000 premises across Newcastle and surrounds will be eligible to upgrade to full fibre by December this year. The majority of these already can.
 
Labor’s NBN is delivering real cost savings. Households are saving more than 100 hours and $2,580 per year in avoided travel time and costs.
 
Modelling by Accenture estimates our latest announcement will provide a $10.4 billion cumulative uplift in GDP over the next decade.
 
And when it comes to reliability, fibre is superior. We have seen a significant reduction in faults on upgraded parts of the network.
 
In contrast, the copper network is deteriorating in performance, and getting slower each year.
 
The average Australian household is already using more than 450GB of data per month and around 22 connected devices. This is forecast to increase to 1 Terabyte and more than 40 devices by the end of the decade.
 
Inexplicably, Peter Dutton and the Coalition want to privatise the NBN, and strand Australians on deteriorating copper that won’t meet future needs.
 
Before the 2022 election, the Coalition sought to increase wholesale NBN prices by inflation plus three per cent, to make the NBN more attractive to sell.
 
This was blocked by the incoming Albanese Government and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
 
Given the opportunity, the Coalition will seek to privatise NBN Co at the expense of consumers.
 
Mr Dutton made this clear when he instructed his Party to vote against Government legislation to keep the NBN Co in public hands in late 2024.
 
Peter Dutton is a risk to Australians and has no economic plan. He cannot be trusted to deliver the essential services we need for a better future.
 
Labor built the NBN, just like Medicare and superannuation.
 
Only the Albanese Government, with a publicly-owned NBN, will finish what we started and deliver affordable, reliable broadband for all Australians.

Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP
Originally published in the Newcastle Herald on Tuesday, 21 January 2025