Joint with the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Leader of the Opposition. 

A Shorten Labor Government will end six years of Coalition chaos with a responsible plan to improve the National Broadband Network (NBN) and give Australian households a network that is affordable and reliable.

We recognise that world-class broadband infrastructure is critical to boosting productivity right across the economy.
 
We also recognise the need to make sure customer experience for households across Australia is a top priority.
 
That’s why a Shorten Labor Government will implement a credible policy that will improve connectivity for households and businesses across the country.
 
Under our plan, we will:
 

• Get more older Australians and low-income households connected: Labor will launch a landmark Digital Inclusion Drive to get more older Australians and low-income households connected to the NBN, making our country more modern and more inclusive.

• Improve speeds and reliability for Fibre to the Node households: Labor will direct NBNCo to fix in-home cabling problems that degrade service quality for households on the copper NBN at no cost to those affected. This will reduce dropouts and improve speeds for broadband services in up to 750,000 Fibre to the Node households.

• Better protect small businesses and consumers against excessive NBN downtime: Labor will safeguard small businesses against unreasonable and excessive periods of NBN downtime and provide greater accountability.

• A responsible approach for targeted future co-investment in fibre: Undertake trials of fibre upgrades to validate costs and assess co-investment mechanisms to responsibly deliver targeted upgrades over the medium term.

• Review the economics of the NBN: Labor will commence an immediate review of the economics of the NBN, including the implications of the multi-technology mix on NBNCo’s long-term cash flow position, capital structure, pricing evolution, and the capacity of NBNCo to co-invest in future infrastructure upgrades under a range of market scenarios.

 
The Coalition record speaks for itself: Australia is ranked 59th in the world for broadband speeds according to the Speedtest Global Index and their delivery of the NBN is $21.4 billion over budget and four years behind schedule.
 
Consumers and taxpayers have every right to be angry with the Liberals for delivering a second-rate network that costs more and does less.
 
Australian households and businesses deserve a National Broadband Network that is affordable, delivers great value for money and is reliable.