MS MEGAN PURCELL,
LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR BENDIGO
21 June 2016
Liberal for Bendigo Megan Purcell together with the Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield today announced that 8,700 premises in Macedon Ranges, Woodend, Gisborne and surrounds are a step closer to getting access to the National Broadband Network (nbn), with construction of the fixed line network now underway.
“The message for Macedon Ranges residents is clear superfast broadband is on its way,” Ms Purcell said.
Final network designs are now complete meaning that over coming weeks, nbn subcontractors will be seen in the streets, laying out fibre and constructing the fibre-to-the-node cabinets which will deliver high-speed broadband.
The Turnbull Coalition Government is rolling out high-speed broadband across Australia in the fastest and most affordable way, with every home and business in Australia to be able to connect to the nbn by 2020.
Under the Coalition, the nbn rollout is on track, on budget and ahead of schedule. By the end of June 2016, a total of 2.6 million premises will be able to connect to the nbn. The network will have passed 5.4 million premises by the end of June 2017, increasing to 9 million premises by the end of June 2018.
“The Turnbull Coalition Government has got the nbn rollout back on track after years of waste and mismanagement under the previous Labor Government,” Ms Purcell said.
“When the Coalition Government was elected in 2013, just 51,000 premises were connected to the nbn. The Coalition is now connecting more than that every month with more than 61,000 premises connected to the nbn last month alone.”
In the electorate of Bendigo, just 1,300 premises were able to connect to the nbn at the time of the 2013 election. Today, there are more than 11,000 homes and businesses able to connect.
“The nbn is now available to more than 2.5 million homes and businesses in Australia and more than one million premises have signed up to the nbn,” Minister Fifield said.
“It is vitally important that the people of Bendigo aren’t left waiting longer and paying more for Labor’s empty promises of gold-plated broadband.”
Once construction is complete, home and business owners will simply need to contact a retail service provider to sign up to an nbn plan and install a new modem. A range of data plans and speed tiers are available to suit business and consumer needs.