AS Communications Minister Kate Lundy addressed Goulburn’s University of the Third Age (U3A) about the benefits of the National Broadband Network on Friday afternoon, it was clear they saw it as an essential piece of infrastructure.
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In fact, all of the questions the tech savvy seniors had for the minister seemed to revolve around one central theme: when will we have access to it? It was the only answer she didn’t have.
She explained that the NBN Co had been deliberately set up at arm’s length from government and was an independent corporate entity. It was not controlled by the ministry and the Labor Party had no influence over the rollout.
However, the company’s three year plan is reviewed every 12 months and, theoretically at least, could be altered if a successful business case could be made. But, this would require intensive lobbying.
“When I meet with a community as obviously keen on the NBN as this one is, (I always tell them) the only thing they can really do is have their voices heard and let NBN Co know how keen they are to have it. That will hopefully bring the town to their attention,” Minister Lundy told the Post.
Aside from a handful of new housing developments along Mary’s Mount Road there is still no fixed date for when Goulburn will be connected to the NBN.
However, Labor candidate Michael Pilbrow has promised to lobby the government owned company on the city’s behalf.
The Labor candidate hosted Friday’s forum and said he was pleased with the turnout.
“I’m certainly feeling that (the tide of public opinion has shifted in favour of the NBN) as I travel around the electorate,” Mr Pilbrow said.
When completed, the NBN will give every Australian access to superfast broadband, with the ability to download at 100 Megabits per second and upload at 40Mbps.
Minister Lundy explained how it would open an array of ‘exciting’ opportunities including for distance education, telehealth and breaking the trend of centralisation, allowing business people to live anywhere and still have access to essential services.
Steve Chapman, who authors Economics and Business Management/Studies texts, attended the forum. He lives just outside Goulburn and was recently connected to the NBN through the satellite rollout.
He told the Post it had made it easier for him to operate his business.
“The result is that my business operations are now more efficient and effective. I am particularly impressed that under the NBN Co pricing structure we can now access double the amount of data for a lower price than before with no peak time penalties,” he said.
The Opposition has also committed to finishing the NBN quicker and cheaper, by running fibre to nodes which connect to existing copper wires and using wireless to fill in black spots.
The Labor candidate believes his party’s rollout is superior. He says it will be faster, more equitable and will provide the same speeds across the board.
Liberal Candidate for Hume Angus Taylor has made an ironclad guarantee that locals will be able to download at least 25Mbps within the next three years if the Coalition gains government.
His party has a plan to fast track the NBN rollout, sacrificing download/upload speeds for better economy and quicker delivery.
Mr Taylor was highly critical of the NBN Co, saying it had passed 10 per cent of its target homes and that Labor’s execution of the project had been a “monumental failure” and “probably the greatest infrastructure failure of any Australian government”.
He also suspected the rollout was “politically motivated” and completely rejected the assertion that Goulburn hadn’t received the NBN because we hadn’t lobbied hard enough for it.
Mr Taylor said both he and Alby Schultz had, through Malcolm Turnbull’s office, made numerous representations but nothing had been done.
