Lalor MP Joanne Ryan has used her opening address in Federal Parliament to lament the “digital divide” plaguing Wyndham residents.
Speaking last week, Ms Ryan referred to a Star Weekly article about Tarneit resident Daniella Camillo, who cannot get home internet access because there are not enough ports in her area to connect her to the internet.
Ms Ryan said she was regularly contacted by Lalor residents with the same problem.
“We have people moving into our suburbs – Tarneit, Point Cook, Wyndham Vale, Manor Lakes and Williams Landing – where they have been told there is access to high-speed internet, access to the NBN, only to find there are not enough ports in those suburbs for them even to access ADSL1.
“This is highly concerning for the residents moving into the area and for those who have been waiting for a long time to get access to high-speed internet.
“There’s an assumption by government departments such as Centrelink and job agencies, who tell people, ‘Just go online and apply for jobs’.
“Our assumptions about what we’re rolling out don’t match the lived experience of residents in my communities; they do not match it at all.”
Residents took to Star Weekly’s Facebook page last week to vent their frustrations.
John pointed the finger at the Rudd-Gillard Labor government.
“As soon as they decided to create the NBN funded with public money as a telecommunications competitor to private enterprise they created the disincentive for private money to invest in new infrastructure,” he said.
