Andrew Giles MP, Federal Member for Scullin, and Rob Mitchell MP, Federal Member for McEwen, today expressed their outrage at the Abbott Government's decision to terminate the National Broadband Network's fibre rollout in South Morang, leaving local residents and businesses to rely on last century's copper for their broadband.
Mr Giles said Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull are denying hundreds of thousands of Australians access to the boundless educational, health, lifestyle and commercial opportunities that fibre to the home delivers.
"Overnight Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull have pulled the plug on 2,400 premises in South Morang receiving fibre-to-the-home broadband services.
"This is despite the fact that under Labor, South Morang was scheduled to receive fibre connections in the coming months," said Mr Giles.
Mr Mitchell said these premises will be left with second-rate technology as a result.
"Residents and businesses in South Morang will be left with one of two choices: battle on using outdated copper, or fork out up to $5,000 to have fibre connected to their home or business.
"Our community was looking forward to the benefits and opportunities that affordable, high-speed fibre broadband would bring to the area, but the Abbott Government has taken this away.
"They are now the first victims of the Liberal cuts to the National Broadband Network," said Mr Mitchell.
"The Government should be ramping up the rollout of the NBN, not slowing it down indefinitely," said Mr Giles.