Four million households and businesses to welcome the NBN, time for the Coalition to do the same

With more than 3.5 million homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and others to be connected to the National Broadband Network under the new fibre rollout plan, it's time for the Coalition to abandon their dogmatic vow to "demolish" the NBN, the Greens said today.

Greens communications spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said the Opposition must drop their plan to gut the NBN.

"The Coalition clings to their half-baked scheme to basically halt the Network during construction and try to fill in the gaps with tin cans and string, but there comes a time when even the most fervent ideologue must face the facts. Mr Abbott needs to recognise that the NBN is here to stay and the Australian people want it that way."

"The officials and the workers who built this country's copper network a century ago did a grand service to their nation, but that copper network can't deliver the fast broadband the modern economy demands. Without this investment in our infrastructure, Australia will struggle to match world's best standard for telecommunications."

Senator Ludlam said federal Liberal MPs had clamoured to get the NBN in their electorates first, and Liberal state governments were beginning to push for priority.

"We have a situation where MPs state and federal are paying attention to the local reality and want the NBN as soon as possible, while the Coalition's top brass clings to their ideological hatred of public enterprise."