Constituency Statement - Federation Chamber Thursday Federation Chamber February 15, 2018

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Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Minister for Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity) (10:15):  A telecommunications revolution is rapidly unfolding around Hume, bringing families closer together, making it easier to do business and making life safer for our communities. Dozens of villages, like Wingello and Exeter, are benefiting from the fantastic fixed wireless technology being rolled out by the NBN. The Exeter Village Association president, Simon Bathgate, said the tower's switching-on meant his small community could access broadband speeds enjoyed by larger towns and cities. Indeed, more than 2,400 premises in rural communities, like Tuena and Taralga are accessing the NBN satellite service.

Horse-breeder John Walsh live streams the racing and thoroughbred auctions through his Sky Muster service. John says, 'The only time I gets into trouble is when the wife wants to use the computer. It doesn't miss a beat, however.' Pinnacle Tax & Accounting, which employs 13 people in Camden and Wollongong, haven't looked back since their connection. Principal Peter Tapp says the NBN has allowed them to have a completely cloud based business, with faster speeds, increased data security and reduced costs.

Out at Lost River—many here in this place know of Lost River, because we eat their lamb in the parliamentary dining room on a regular basis—they are getting decent mobile phone coverage for the first time. It is a godsend for locals like Michael O'Brien, who says, 'Just this morning I was able to make a call from inside the house, which I never would have been able to do before the tower went up.' He said this when the Lost River mobile black spot tower was switched on just a few weeks ago. More towers will be switched on at Tarlo, Dalton and Mount Hunter.

Labor did not build a single mobile phone tower, nor invest a single cent in mobile phone coverage, in their six years of government. The Mobile Black Spot Program is the most significant one-time increase in mobile network coverage to regional and remote Australia ever delivered by a single public funding program, and Hume is in the absolute thick of the action. In less than four years, I have managed to secure funding for at least 21 towers in my electorate under the coalition's black spot program. Ninety-six per cent of my electorate now have an available NBN service. That's almost 66,000 premises. All of that has happened in the last few years. In fact, in the 12 months to January this year, the NBN connected an average of about 74 premises every day—every day. Fifty-three per cent of the premises in my electorate now have an active NBN service, well above the state and national average, and in some areas the take-up rate is higher than 70 per cent. The revolution is here, and the coalition are driving it through unprecedented investment in their commitment to deliver technology for everyone.