TAMWORTH will get fibre to the home and business under a Labor government, rather than the “second-rate copper” network being rolled out by the Coalition, the party’s New England candidate says.
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Country Labor candidate David Ewings said his party would upgrade the National Broadband Network (NBN) to fibre-to-the-premises for up to two million businesses and homes during the initial build, which would otherwise get the copper version.
“Tamworth will be prioritised as part of Labor’s commitment to connecting regional Australia, provided no contracts have been entered into by the current government,” Mr Ewings said.
“Unlike Barnaby Joyce’s recent promise to the residents of Scone, Labor’s commitment stands whether I am elected or not.”
Mr Ewings said businesses in New England were missing out on new markets and expansion opportunities, because they could not compete in a global market.
“Over the last few years, Australia has dropped from 30th in the world for internet speeds, to 60th, which is dragging down our economic growth and opportunities for businesses to cash in on an increasingly online market place,” Mr Ewings said.
“I recently joined Senator Doug Cameron in Glen Innes, where we met with the operators of a small business that is supplying customers around the world – including NASA – and which is entirely dependent on a solid broadband service.
“The lack of speed and capacity has stopped this business and so many others in our region from expanding, from putting on new staff and opening up into new markets.
“NBN is not about online entertainment and cat photos – fibre NBN is the most important piece of economic infrastructure that small business in regional Australia needs to be competitive with the rest of the world.”
Mr Ewings said Labor would complete the initial rollout of the NBN by mid-2020, the same time the Liberal’s inferior copper NBN is likely to be completed.
“Barnaby Joyce has been trotting out the Coalition’s catchcry about jobs and growth, and yet he simply doesn’t understand how vital high- speed broadband is for economic growth and new employment opportunities.
“Ironically, it may be that Barnaby Joyce’s failure to deliver his second- rate NBN, as promised, opens the opportunity for a first-rate fibre high- speed NBN that will build economic productivity and new jobs in Tamworth and the New England.