Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese visited Leura on Friday [November 19] to talk about Labor's plan for faster NBN at more homes.
The plan is expected to cost $2.4 billion and create 12,000 jobs. In the Mountains it will mean some 18,000 homes from Lawson to Mt Victoria can elect to have a fibre connection to their premises (instead of fibre-to-the-node).
Mr Albanese said Australia-wide some one-and-a-half million extra homes and businesses would have higher quality internet, promising more than 10 million premises will have "world-class" internet speeds by 2025 under Labor.
The opposition pitch to improve internet access follows Australia being ranked 59th in the world for average broadband speed.
"In an era of globalisation, we're falling behind the rest of the world. That's the big picture," he said.
Bethany Manor Bed and Breaskfast is one business that has missed out on the broadband lottery, according to co-owner Aaron Cassin.
He said their reviews were excellent, except for internet speeds, telling Mr Albanese that some guests had asked for 50 per cent discounts because of the wi-fi.
MP for Macquarie Susan Templeman said "we've got businesses looking to relocate their office site because the NBN is not up for the job ... [with] last century copper."
Two other businesses from Bullaburra - Ron Polglaze from Blazon.au, a sound and lighting company and Keaton Stewart from Stewart Brothers production - said their experiences were also woeful.
Mr Stewart said future generations would be angry about the lack of investment in the technology, when everything, including health, could rely on virtual communications within a decade.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the government had already committed to making ultra-fast broadband with speeds of up to one gigabit per second available for eight million homes by 2023.
Liberal Senator Marise Payne, said when the Coalition was elected in 2013, Labor had connected 51,000 homes, compared to 8 million in 2021.
Under Labor, 90 per cent of Australians in the fixed line footprint - would have access to world-class gigabit speeds by 2025, Opposition Communications Minister, Michelle Rowland said.
The plan would be funded "through a combination of Commonwealth loans, equity, free cash flows, which the NBN will be generating in the next couple of years ... exactly as the NBN is funded now," Ms Rowland said.
Australia's competition watchdog has flagged concerns about lower-than-expected internet speeds for customers on fibre-to-the-node connections under the existing copper network.
