No to NBN privatisation, says Senate committee

A Senate inquiry has recommended that the National Broadband Network be kept in public hands.

Established in November last year, the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications conducted an inquiry into the National Broadband Network Companies Amendment (Commitment to Public Ownership) Bill 2024 that aims to modify the National Broadband Network Companies Act 2011 to recognise in legislation that the network remains in public ownership. 

It was announced Friday the committee supported the passage of the Bill.

The amendment has been designed to thwart Liberal Party attempts to privatise the network – which was established in 2009 by Labor under Kevin Rudd’s premiership.

During the hearing, Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland stated that maintaining the public ownership of NBN Co is intended to provide the company with “the certainty necessary for its planning and operational decisions”.

The Bill will maximise the economic and social benefits of the NBN, said Rowland, and encourage investment to “keep prices affordable and connect Australians in regional and remote Australia, including First Nations communities”.

On 13 January, the government announced that it would invest up to $3 billion to upgrade the remaining fibre-to-the-node elements of the network, with NBN Co to contribute more than $800 million to the project. The upgrades will deliver access to higher internet speeds for around 622,000 additional premises by 2030.

The government anticipates that when the upgrade is complete more than 94 per cent of premises on the fixed line NBN network – representing over 11 million homes and businesses – will have access to connections enabling speeds over 1 Gbps.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the Australian Greens moved amendments to the legislation to cap NBN Co executive salaries and require the network to be recognised as a universal service, obligating the company to provide broadband that is accessible to everyone on an equitable basis.

“The NBN belongs to all Australians, but too many consumers are being crunched by rising bills and network faults,” said Greens spokesperson for Communications Sarah Hanson-Young.