MICHELLE ROWLAND MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
MEMBER FOR GREENWAY


AUSTRALIA DROPS TO 68^th IN WORLD FOR INTERNET SPEEDS, AND RANKS FOURTH LAST IN OECD

According to the Speedtest Global Index, Australia has entered the year 2020 ranked 68^th in the world for internet speeds, down from 62 at the May 2019 election.

Australia’s average speeds are less than half of those being measured in New Zealand and China, and less than a quarter compared to Singapore.

Furthermore, a segmentation of the December 2019 data revealed Australia is ranked 32 out of the 35 OECD countries tracked by the Speedtest Global Index. 

This comes as the Minister for Communications prepares to legislate an $85 a year broadband tax on non-NBN residential fibre connections, directly contradicting his own confusing rhetoric on encouraging private investment to boost speeds.

The Liberal Party promised its multi-technology mix would be faster and cheaper, yet they have delivered a network which costs more to build, more to run and does less.

Regrettably, relative to developed global economies, Australia is not anywhere near where it should be.

Under this Government, Australians are missing out.

Note: There are 36 OECD countries but only 35 shown here as Iceland is not in the list of countries shown on speedtest.net.

Source for fixed broadband speed: https://www.speedtest.net/global-index               

Source for OECD countries: https://www.oecd.org/about/members-and-partners/   

WEDNESDAY, 29 JANUARY 2020