CANDIDATES from the major parties standing in Blair say they are committed to a better NBN but they don’t agree on how that can be achieved.
Ipswich councillors recently vented their frustration at a general meeting about the “black hole” that exists in Ipswich suburbs where the NBN is not available.
Suburbs including Basin Pocket, East Ipswich, Booval, Raceview, Silkstone, Flinders View, Blackstone, Deebing Heights, Collingwood Park, Springfield, Camira and Eastern Heights do not have the NBN at all.
Labor will reinstall its fibre to the premises roll-out across Ipswich if it is returned to government and phase out the Coalition’s fibre to the node, copper to the premises roll-out as soon as current design and construction contracts are completed.
“Under Labor there is no reason why great swathes of Ipswich will not get back with fibre to the premises, in comparison to the Coalition which is fibre to the node,” Blair MP Shayne Neumann said.
“My argument here is that there are great swathes of Ipswich that are not even under construction with fibre to the node.
“If we win government the first thing I am going to do as a local member is find out where they are in relation to those issues.
“Under the Coalition 20% of the country will be covered by fibre to the premises, but under Labor that will go up to 39% and will cover an extra two million houses and businesses.
“You can’t undo contracts where people have already signed to do fibre to the node.
“Where there is not construction taking place, we will roll out (fibre to the premises).
“Under the Coalition people in many Ipswich suburbs will be second-class digital citizens. What we have in Ipswich now is a digital divide.”
Ms Harding said the LNP’s NBN plan for Ipswich was superior to Labor’s on several fronts.
“There is a lot of spin being put out there but the facts speak for themselves,” she said.
“Under six years of Labor only 51,000 people had signed up to the NBN but under the Turnbull Government we are signing up 61,000 people to the NBN every single month.
“The NBN was created by Kevin Rudd on a napkin I think in the back of his VIP jet.
“It was uncosted and the worst planned project ever in infrastructure history.
“We do have a multi-technology mix of products to make sure we get fast internet out to as many people as possible.
“We have a mixture of fibre to the premises, fibre to the node and fixed wireless.”
Ms Harding said the Coalition would also provide two extra mobile phone towers – one in Moore and one at Somerset Dam.
“I campaigned for that,” she said.
Greens candidate for Blair Pat Walsh said a first class NBN was essential for Australia to seize the opportunities of a 21st century global economy.
“Our council has identified the importance of this new economy with Fire Station 101 but generally young people from Ipswich who have travelled overseas are distressed by the internet service available when they get home and it will only get worse under the Coalition’s plans,” he said.
“Clearly getting the super wealthy and large corporates paying their fair share will allow us to invest in a first class NBN, delivered on time to your house whether in Newtown or Esk or anywhere in Blair needing better services.”
Original article published at www.qt.com.au by Joel Gould 30/6/16