“South Australians are being taken for fools by a Labor Government who thinks dodgy figures and implied promises will make up for their failure to deliver the National Broadband Network (NBN),” Opposition Senate Communications spokesman Simon Birmingham said today.
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It follows the Government’s announcement today of a new NBN fibre rollout plan designed to give the impression of a faster rollout than is actually the case.
 
“Labor believe they can con people with promises that NBN construction will commence when in reality only a tiny fraction of South Australians will see broadband connections materialize,” Senator Birmingham said.
 
?”Since coming to office Labor have connected less than 1000 premises a year to the NBN in SA. It’s fanciful to suggest they’ll now be able to roll out to 110,000 a year.
 
“The numbers presented in this announcement are no more than a smoke and mirrors trick.
 
?”For example, Labor are counting 17,900 premises in the Edwardstown area towards their total rollout numbers when they might have only rolled fibre down one street to 10 houses by 2015. Unlike the spin being put on this announcement, laying a little fibre somewhere in Edwardstown does not equate to connecting 17,900 Edwardstown premises in the next three years.
 
?”Instead of being honest about the number of houses actually to be connected, Labor is trying to cover up its slow rollout with dodgy figures and promises that stretch into the Never-Never.
 
?”The truth is Labor is woefully behind its own rollout schedule and no amount of spin and trickery can make up for the fact that Labor promised the world on the NBN but have delivered precious little.”