The Western Australian government has had its say on the NBN rollout at a Commonwealth Parliamentary inquiry.
The Joint Standing Committee heard how many Western Australian households and businesses are experiencing differences in promised service from the NBN.
A key talking point was the lack of publicly available information about the rollout, making it difficult for individuals, businesses and Government agencies to plan for access to the service.
Acting Minister for Innovation and ICT, Simone McGurk, said, “The remote areas in our state are being particularly affected by the slow rollout of the NBN and the inferior but more expensive satellite technology being deployed.
“High performing, affordable internet in these areas will drive economic development and help address social and economic disadvantage.”
The committee also heard that the NBN technologies being deployed across much of Western Australia are not suitable for the state’s current and future digital needs, with communities in regional and remote areas being particularly affected.
Morley MLA, Amber-Jade Sanderson, said, “Due to the outdated infrastructure in our area, businesses are packing up and moving to other suburbs, which is bad for local jobs and bad for our communities.”