Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (18:28): We know that Australians living in regional areas like my electorate of Gilmore are struggling with cost-of-living pressures, so the last thing they need is for our National Broadband Network to be sold off, pushing up their home internet bills and risking their privacy. Small businesses in my electorate are doing it tough as well, and they can't afford for the NBN to be sold, hiking up their communication costs and risking the stability of their connectivity.
Gilmore has been hit hard by a series of natural disasters, including flooding, ferocious storms and the devastating Black Summer bushfires. In times of emergency, it is crucial for residents and small businesses on the New South Wales South Coast to have access to reliable internet to stay connected with family and friends and, of course, emergency services during their time of need.
That's why I support this Albanese government's position to keep NBN Co, the company that operates our National Broadband Network, in public ownership. By keeping the NBN in full government ownership, we can continue to support the upgrade of the network and ensure ongoing regulatory oversight of NBN wholesale pricing, keeping broadband affordable for all Australians. A potential sale of the NBN risks significant price hikes and a reduction in service quality, particularly in rural and regional areas like Gilmore.
I have continued to lobby for upgrades to communications infrastructure in my electorate, and this government has continued to deliver. I am working hard to ensure that people in Gilmore can access more-reliable internet and phone coverage, helping them to stay connected and run successful local businesses. The Albanese government is delivering on its commitment to improve mobile coverage for regional Australians, with new mobile phone infrastructure being built at Jamberoo, Kangaroo Valley, Termeil, Lilli Pilli, Worrigee and Benandarah. We're expanding mobile coverage and improving communications resilience to improve connectivity in regional areas.
The Albanese government is narrowing the digital divide in rural and regional Australia, including by improving mobile phone and internet coverage and ensuring that our communities stay connected with family and loved ones. While I continue to advocate for better mobile and internet services and this government continues to roll out improved telecommunications infrastructure in my electorate, we have those opposite looking to sell off the NBN. The sale of this important public asset would spell disaster for regional areas like Gilmore. We've seen the mess the Liberals and former New South Wales treasurer and transport minister made when they sold off publicly owned assets, including Sydney buses. The Liberals' privatisation of Telstra was a terrible policy outcome, leaving regional communities hostage to the monopoly market power of Telstra. They sold out Australia on the privatisation of Telstra, and we cannot let that happen again with the NBN.
It's so important for the electorate of Gilmore to have reliable, quality internet and phone service in order to prevent a repeat of the loss of communications that the region experienced during the 2019-20 bushfires. Resilient power and telecommunications are essential services, especially during bushfires. That's why an Albanese Labor government is replacing the timber power poles in my electorate with more resilient composite poles to better protect emergency radio networks, ABC radio and television, mobile services and more.
We've improved the resilience of power infrastructure in South Durras. South Durras narrowly missed being impacted by the Currowan fires, underscoring the need to better prepare for future bushfires and take sensible mitigation matters where appropriate. This government has relocated power cables to the local NBN fixed wireless tower underground and also replaced 30 timber power poles between South Durras and the Princes Highway with composite fireproof poles. The main benefit for a community in having composite power poles installed is electricity reliability. Unlike traditional timber power poles, composite poles are immune to termite damage. They don't rot, and they are much more resistant to the effects of fire, which means the power is more likely to stay on. In the 2019-20 bushfires, the fires totally destroyed the timber poles, but the composite poles that had been installed, made of fibreglass, were still standing.
I worked closely with Durras Community Association President Dr Trevor Daly and members who raised their concerns with me almost immediately after the fires subsided. Dr Daly said that the power pole replacements and other critical infrastructure upgrades would better protect the Durras community during future bushfires and other emergencies. He said upgrades of key infrastructure for improved emergency resilience are vitally important for at-risk coastal communities like Durras and are essential for protecting lives and homes.
Maintaining electricity, mobile phone and internet access is essential for residents to be able to receive emergency warnings, keep track of nearby bushfire fronts and maintain communications during fires, storms and all types of emergencies. We know that one of the most terrifying things about the bushfires was that we lost power, impacting on water supply, food safety, health and of course communications. No-one wants to see that repeated. The sale of our NBN could make internet access unaffordable and inaccessible for many Australians in regional areas who are already facing cost-of-living pressures, including pensioners, students and low-income earners. I will continue to work hard to ensure local villages right across the South Coast are better protected should the worst happen again, with a key focus on affordability, reliability and resilience in power and telecommunications. I will always fight to ensure our communities are better prepared for the future, and that includes fighting to keep the NBN in public hands. I have listened to my local community and have committed to practical measures that will improve the resilience of local infrastructure to ensure they can remain disaster ready. Since the bushfires I have been on the job with Telstra, working on improved disaster resilience projects, including improved battery backup at mobile phone towers, additional mobile cells on wheels—also known as COWs—to provide mobile coverage to communities in times of need and the rollout of 5G technology. I have collaborated with NBN Co to include thousands more homes and businesses are included in the fibre-to-the-premises upgrade plan, which will further provide some battery backup should the power go out, absolutely crucial in times of disaster.
I am also pleased to be delivering on fixing mobile black spots along the Princes Highway between Batemans Bay, Ulladulla, Benandarah and Termeil. The 2019-20 bushfires made crystal clear that quality mobile coverage is critical for our community during disasters. Investments in the 2024 budget totalling $1.3 billion over four years will see an upgraded national broadband network, with fibre upgrades providing regional families and small businesses with access to world-class, high-quality broadband. We want to ensure NBN stays in public hands because quality broadband unlocks digital opportunities and enables remote work and education, particularly in regional areas. The NBN improves access to telehealth and boosts economic productivity and participation in regional communities.
Those opposite want to decimate that by selling the NBN, just like they have continued to recycle public assets over the past decade. There is no better example of the former government 's failure on the NBN than in regional Australia. Under the Liberals my electorate of Gilmore was hampered by second-rate internet and held back from the world of opportunity that high-quality connectivity brings. The pandemic was a very difficult time, but one thing it did was free up the possibility of remote working. However, working from home proved frustrating for many people in regional areas, such as the New South Wales South Coast, due to substandard internet connectivity. Under the Liberals we saw a huge digital divide where some suburbs in Gilmore had fast, reliable internet services while those next door were stuck with a second-rate system. They were victims of the coalition's second-rate NBN which, when we were elected, was $28 billion over budget, nearly double the cost, four years behind schedule and backflipping to copper.
In stark contrast, since coming to government the Albanese government has worked hard to address inequality by delivering fibre upgrades so more Australian families and small businesses can access world-class, high-quality broadband. I'm pleased to say many people and communities in my electorate have benefited from the Albanese government's upgrade to full-fibre NBN. We are rolling out a world-class, high-speed broadband network, with more than $3 billion in NBN fibre and fixed wireless upgrades being delivered on time and on budget across the country. We've installed more than 70,000 kilometres of new fibre and upgraded over 2,300 fixed wireless towers. In regional areas like mine, faster and more reliable fibre connection supports our economy, local families and small businesses. This government's investment ensures we are receiving all of the technological benefits the NBN has to offer across business, health, education, social recovery and more. The Albanese government is delivering a more connected, protected and vibrant nation from our suburbs right through to our most remote communities. We are making key investments to enable the NBN to reach its full potential, with around 80 per cent of regional and remote premises and 93 per cent of Australian homes and businesses to have access to high-speed plans by late 2025. The NBN is critical infrastructure which reaches to more than 12.4 million premises across Australia, with over 8.6 million homes and businesses connected. The fibre and fixed-wireless upgrades we took to the 2022 election are being delivered on time and on budget in towns and villages throughout Gilmore. This means that residents and businesses on the south coast can take advantage of the faster speeds, which are increasingly important in a digital society and economy.
As a former TAFE teacher, I know how reliable access to the internet is essential for students, whether they're at school, TAFE, university or studying remotely. This government's School Student Broadband Initiative is providing thousands of struggling families with a free home broadband connection so they can reach their full potential. Whilst many students can access the internet through school wi-fi, connecting the internet at home to support remote learning and homework is a serious affordability issue for some families.
We are relieving some of the barriers to students fully participating in educational opportunities and giving them the tools they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. The pandemic really demonstrated how important it is for students in regional areas to be connected to quality internet at home. Not having internet at home shouldn't be a barrier to a quality education. I want to see our kids reach their full potential, and having an internet connection at home can play a big part in that.
I'm proud to say that more than 18,000 families have been connected to free internet until the end of 2025 through our School Student Broadband Initiative. Reliable internet via the NBN is so important for people who live in regions like mine. I'm proud to be part of a government that takes digital inclusion so seriously, and I don't want to put it at risk. We know how hard our businesses, individuals and the economy have been hit by online security breaches and cyberscammers. We know ordinary Australians are tightening their online security, because they're understandably scared of cyberattacks on their businesses and hackers getting hold of their personal information or accessing their bank accounts, and of course there is the increasing risk of AI scams.
Keeping the NBN in government hands means we can put stronger measures in place to protect against scams and cyberattacks. The NBN is crucial national infrastructure with cybersecurity and national security imperatives requiring strong government oversight. This is best delivered through ongoing government ownership. By keeping the NBN in public ownership, the government can also reduce potential harms from gambling-like content in computer games and can tackle exposure to age-inappropriate content online.
The sale of the NBN could wipe out all the progress we've made on First Nations digital inclusion by providing affordable and reliable internet access to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Any future sale of the NBN by the Libs would likely involve foreign ownership, raising potentially series national sovereignty and security risks as well as inevitable price hikes. Only by keeping the NBN in public ownership can we continue to deliver an affordable, reliable internet service for all Australians.
