13 June 2016
E&EO
STEVE AUSTIN:
Let’s go to Senator Mitch Fifield. Mitch Fifield is the Federal Communications Minister. Minister, good morning to you.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Good morning, Steve.
STEVE AUSTIN:
Firstly, let me get your response to the indications by Jason Clare there, and what they’re planning to announce today for their NBN policy.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Well, Labor are announcing, in effect, that Australians are going to wait longer to connect to the NBN, and that they’re going to have to pay more. Labor’s proposition is that rather than the NBN be complete by 2020 as will be the case under us they will have to wait until at least 2022.
STEVE AUSTIN:
They say that’s matching your deadline.
MITCH FIFIELD:
No, that’s a lie. Our deadline, that NBN is confident they can meet, is completion of the NBN, nationwide, by 2020. So that is an outright lie, on the part of Jason Clare to that say our target, our timeframe, is 2022. Let there be no doubt, Labor is proposing for Australians to wait longer. They’re proposing for Queenslanders to have to wait longer for the NBN, but they’re also saying it’s going to cost Australians more. Now Labor are saying it’ll only cost a billion dollars more. The truth is, when you look at Labor’s policy document it’s going to cost $8 billion more. So people will be waiting longer, and they will be paying more.
STEVE AUSTIN:
They’ve also asked, or will be asking for Infrastructure Australia to look at how to upgrade the existing fibre-to-the-node connected that have been installed under the Coalition. Why is it that new suburbs around South-East Queensland have been getting copper wire put in, and not fibre networks? Places like Springfield, where even Telstra say they’re not even going to put in new portals for ADSL, despite the growth in the area.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Well our plan will see the NBN rolled out nationwide much sooner than that of the Australian Labor Party. One of the reasons for that is because we’re pursuing what’s called a ‘multi-technology mix’. That means that the mandate for NBN is: use what will get the NBN to people fastest and at lowest cost. It’s a mix of fibre-to-the-premises, fibre-to-the-node, fixed wireless, the HFC/Pay TV cable, and satellite. What Labor is saying, is that they want to increase the use of fibre-to-the-premises. Now that costs double. Double per premises to connect. And it also involves serious civil works, the digging up of people’s front yards. So there is no NBN nirvana on the horizon with Labor. What there is, is more cost. Delay. And the digging up people’s front yards.
STEVE AUSTIN:
But at the moment under the Coalition, I’m not sure if you’re aware of the significance of the problems we’re having here in Brisbane at the moment. But there is what appears to be a massive reliability issue at least in South-East Queensland. So can I ask you: can the Coalition promise an improved reliability by internet providers in Australia, at all?
MITCH FIFIELD:
Well the NBN will be a good service. I acknowledge that the NBN, in some of its initial installations, there’ve been some issues between retail service providers and NBN –
STEVE AUSTIN:
You can’t promise improved reliability?
MITCH FIFIELD:
Oh no, there will absolutely be improved reliability –
STEVE AUSTIN:
How?
MITCH FIFIELD:
..That is the whole purpose of the NBN to make sure –
STEVE AUSTIN:
How?
MITCH FIFIELD:
…That there is a good reliable service.
STEVE AUSTIN:
How?! How can you promise it? How can you improve the reliability? Please explain to me, I’d love to hear.
MITCH FIFIELD:
By ensuring that every Australian, without exception, has the option of connecting to the NBN. That is how we will improve reliability. Under Labor’s approach, Australians will be waiting at least two years longer. And I’ve got to pick up Jason, who tries to present the rollout of the NBN under this Government as anything other than a success. Just take the last month. There were 61,000 people who switched on to the NBN nationwide. Just last month. That’s 10,000 more than Labor did over their six years in government. Labor in government only connected 51,000 premises. So the NBN is rolling out at a pace. The only certain thing is if Labor were elected, if Labor put their plan in place; people would be waiting longer to get a reliable NBN service.
STEVE AUSTIN:
Minister, under your plan every single Australian was meant to connected, to a minimum 25 megabits-per-second, now. That has not happened, why?
MITCH FIFIELD:
Well under our plan, 90 per cent of the fixed-line network, will gets speeds of 50 megabits-per-second. Under fibre-to-the-node
STEVE AUSTIN:
Supposed to have been already connected! 25 megabits-per-second for every Australian today and it’s not happened, has it?
MITCH FIFIELD:
Well you’re referring to the Coalition’s pre-2013 policy
STEVE AUSTIN:
Yes, your promise, your commitment.
MITCH FIFIELD:
…Which was based on the very best, available knowledge at the time. When we came into Government, we found that the government-of-the-day, Labor, and the NBN themselves, didn’t even know how much it was costing to connect each premises to the NBN. When we came into Government, we found that Labor were one million premises short of their 2013 target. In other words, they were two years behind where they were meant to be. So we had to deal with the facts as we found them when we came into office. Which was there were only 51,000 premises, nationwide, connected to the NBN. Labor should have had a million. They were two years behind. They didn’t know much it was costing to connect each premises with fibre-to-the-premises. It was actually costing double what they thought. So Malcolm Turnbull had to bring order to bear where there was chaos.
STEVE AUSTIN:
I have run out of time, I’m sorry Minister. Thank you so much for coming on this morning.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Thanks Steve, good to chat.
STEVE AUSTIN:
Minister for Communications, Mitch Fifield.
[ends]