Labor pledges $3 billion to complete NBN and deliver faster internet by 2030

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a $3 billion investment to upgrade the National Broadband Network (NBN).

The project aims to deliver faster and more reliable internet to millions of Australians. 

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The government says the upgrades will provide internet speeds of up to 1GB per second for over 11 million homes and businesses, 

The funding will prioritise upgrading fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) connections, enabling an additional 622,000 premises.

Over half in regional and rural areas expect to access high-speed fibre connections by 2030.  

NBN Co will contribute $800 million to the project.  

“Labor created the National Broadband Network, and only Labor will finish the NBN,” Mr Albanese said.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland defended the investment, describing fibre as a “future-proof technology”.

She emphasised that fibre offers superior reliability and speed compared to mobile networks, which are constrained by user density.  

NBN Co chief executive Ellie Sweeney also welcomed the announcement.

“Today’s announcement will mean access to faster and more reliable internet for millions of Australians,” she said.  

The announcement comes as Labor and the Coalition gear up for the federal election. 

Mr Albanese used the opportunity to challenge the opposition to commit to maintaining public ownership of the NBN, accusing them of planning to privatise the network.  

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