Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher

This week I approved a determination to release $235 million in funding to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, using the Advance to the Finance Minister (AFM), to support making a grant payment to NBN Co Limited (NBN Co).

As part of its Better Connectivity for Rural and Regional Australia Plan, the Government committed to provide $480 million towards an upgrade of the NBN Co’s fixed wireless and satellite networks to improve broadband services for premises in regional, rural and remote Australia. This funding will provide certainty to the NBN Co that it will be able to proceed with the upgrade.

The upgrade will improve services for all NBN Sky Muster satellite users and will particularly benefit premises in the NBN satellite footprint in New South Wales and Queensland recovering from the early 2022 flooding events.

The previous Government made a similar commitment in the 2022-23 Budget, but no appropriation was made for it.

The determination was made from the AFM that was appropriated by the Parliament in the Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2021-2022 and was signed on 24 June 2022.

The determination has been registered on the Federal Register of Legislation, together with an explanatory statement (these are available at legislation.gov.au).