Service guarantee would force NBNCo to lift game

THIS week, Labor has announced a new NBN Service Guarantee that will set regulated timelines and standards for fixing faults, installations and missed appointments.

If NBNCo fails to meet these standards, they will face remedies that flow through to the consumer.

This policy is designed to improve accountability, incentivise performance and safeguard against excessive downtime.

This is a huge win for Gold Coast small businesses and consumers who have been frustrated to tears by the shoddy NBN rollout.

People like Max, who runs a small refrigerator business in Helensvale, who gave up on the NBN altogether because it was so slow, resorting to the very expensive hotspot connection on his phone.

If these problems had happened under Labor’s NBN Service Guarantee, Max would have had stronger safeguards against the issues which impacted on his business.

Labor’s policy means that the NBN will be more accountable to retail providers, which in turn will be more accountable to their customers.

It’s not good enough that business owners like Max have lost thousands because of problems with loss of their NBN service.

A Labor Government will not treat consumers like collateral, but put their needs front and centre of our NBN policy.

Unfortunately Gold Coast LNP MPs like Bert Van Manen have ignored pleas from constituents to help fix the NBN.

Mr Van Manen and his fellow Gold Coast MPs have taken the Gold Coast for granted for too long.

The Gold Coast has suffered long enough under the LNP’s neglect of consumers and small businesses. It’s time to fix it.

MURRAY WATT, LABOR SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND