MEDIA RELEASE: Clare and Claydon Again Call on Malcolm Turnbull to Put Thornton on the Updated NBN Rollout Map

17 March 2015

Shadow Minister for Communications Jason Clare and Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon have again called on Malcolm Turnbull to add Thornton to the updated NBN rollout plan.

Their calls for the suburb to be added follows a community forum in Thornton last week, where more than 100 residents gathered to voice their frustrations because they can’t get the sort of internet speeds they want or need.

Under Labor Thornton was scheduled to get the world class fibre-to-the-premises NBN within three years - the NBN that delivers super-fast internet speeds using fibre optic cable.

Instead Thornton has been ripped off the map by Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull and residents of Thornton have no idea when the NBN will be coming to town and what kind of NBN it will be.

Malcolm Turnbull promised that areas with the poorest service like Thornton would be the first to get the NBN:

“Suburbs, regions, towns and business districts with the poorest services and greatest need for upgrades will receive first priority.”

Coalition plan for a better NBN, 25th July 2013.

He has broken that promise and the residents of Thornton are paying the price for the Government’s lies.

This Government has lied about health funding, lied about education funding, lied about cutting the pension, lied about cutting the ABC and SBS and they have lied about the NBN.