The Victorian Government has hit out at the recently announced 3-year rollout plan of the National Broadband Network (NBN), saying that the state has been duded.

 

State Technology Minister Gordon rich-Phillips said Victoria has received less than 20 per cent of program funding, giving a disproportionately low amount of funding for the state that is home to a quarter of the country’s population.

 

Mr Rich-Phillips said although there had been a slight increase to Victoria, the rollout still clearly favoured the Labor-held states of South Australia, Tasmania and ACT.

 

"Although South Australia has just 7.3 per cent of national population, it is receiving 9.2 per cent of the funding. Tasmania, which represents just 2.3 per cent of population is receiving 5.9 per cent of the program funding,” Mr Rich-Phillips.

 

"With only 19.5 per cent of the premises in the total plan allocated to Victoria, our share of NBN construction activity is still too low given we represent a quarter of the national population."

 

NBN Co recently announced that Stage 1 of the large-scale rollout of the National Broadband Network is now underway and will see of the fibre optic component of the network delivered or be underway to areas of the country containing 3.5 million premises in 1500 communities in every state and territory in Australia, comprising one third of the nation’s homes and businesses.

 

Across Australia, the numbers of homes, businesses, schools and hospitals that will see construction begin or be completed by mid 2015 are:
·         1,010,700 in New South Wales
·         691,600 in Victoria
·         678,600 in Queensland
·         429,200 in Western Australia.
·         327,300 in South Australia
·         135,300 in the ACT
·         65,200 in the Northern Territory
·         209,100 in Tasmania