Page 83 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 9 February 2016
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
download speeds of between 25 and 100 megabits per second by the end of 2016 and 50 to 100 megabits per second by 2019. There are areas of Canberra now that are getting that and in fact the area that I am is in that area where we are getting up to 45, 50 megabits per second. By August of last year there were more than 19,872 premises connected to NBN via fibre to the premises in Canberra and that figure is after only two years of the coalition being in office.
The suburbs with broadband services available include areas in Bonner, Civic, Crace and Deakin. There are currently 11,700 premises where construction is underway and a further 56,900 premises to be completed as part of the rollout plan by December 2016.
The coalition has given a commitment to utilise highly effective smart technologies in the delivery of a high speed broadband network service which will ensure that Australia does not fall behind in the worldwide digital revolution. Those of us on this side of the chamber agree that this is important. What is even more important is that the coalition government will provide the NBN to all Australians sooner and at less cost to taxpayers than was on offer under Labor. As I have mentioned, it is clear that superfast broadband is on its way to Canberra thanks to the hard work of the Australian government.
Perhaps we should be taking a closer look at what the ACT government is doing here in Canberra, apart from the rhetoric about how good it is. So what is the ACT government doing here in Canberra to improve digital infrastructure and enhance Canberra’s ability to operate and thrive in an ever-increasing digital world?
Earlier today we heard the Chief Minister state his government’s priorities and make clear in this Assembly that ICT infrastructure and the creation of a digital Canberra are important to this government. And we support that. It is important. It needs to be attended to.
However, looking closely at this government’s track record over the last three years, the reality is actually quite a bit different. It seems that the execution of these so-called priorities has left a lot to be desired. Take for instance the rollout of the Canberra free wi-fi network which Ms Porter has spoken about. I have spoken on this subject many times over the last four years, and it seems Canberra is still waiting for its completion. It was promised that Canberra would host Australia’s largest free public wi-fi network. That was four years ago. However, with continual delays in the rollout it seems we are still waiting for this promise to be very much delivered on.
Initially the rollout was to be completed by the end of 2015. Now we are looking at some time in mid to late 2016. So the promises that were made at election time all sounded very good but the reality is that we have not got it. So far only Canberra city, Braddon, New Acton and EPIC have active external wi-fi transmitters. The town centres of Belconnen, Dickson, Kingston, Manuka, Tuggeranong, Gungahlin, Weston, Woden and Bruce are still waiting to be fully receiving the free wireless network.
The wi-fi rollout was to be completed one year after its launch in October 2014. We are now in early 2016 and we are leading in to another election and still waiting on
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video