The Turnbull Government’s glowing interpretation of its second-rate NBN results stands in stark contrast to the real-world experiences of millions of Australians who continue to be denied access to high quality and affordable broadband.

Malcolm Turnbull promised all Australians they would have access to the NBN by the end of this year.  Having broken that promise, he is building a copper-based network replete with customer complaints and failed expectations.

In areas where customers have only a fibre-to-the-node connection, snail-like peak speeds, regular drop outs, and buck-passing between NBN and retail service providers are all being experienced.

For many Australians, the simple question of when they will have access to real high speed broadband cannot be answered by this Government.  At a community forum in Rockhampton last night, Labor Leader Bill Shorten heard from a local resident who said he enjoyed quicker speeds in Cambodia than in his own home.

It’s little wonder that Australia dropped from 30th to 60th in the world for internet speeds on Malcolm Turnbull’s watch.

All of Malcolm Turnbull’s empty rhetoric and buzzwords just don’t cut it when it comes to the current and future impact of his second-rate broadband infrastructure.  NBN notes that an average household has nine connected devices today and predictions are this will increase to 29 devices by 2020. It beggars belief that such a lack of future-proofing in the choice of copper-based technology will be adequate for Australia’s needs.

It is notable also that the launch of the first NBN satellite is lauded – the same satellite that was commissioned by Labor, but which Malcolm Turnbull described as wasteful and unnecessary.

Only Labor understands that real high-speed broadband is essential for jobs, for small businesses, world-class education and health care, and that this can only be achieved with a first-rate fibre NBN.