Australians in Eight Mile Plains are set to be part of the first 100,000 premises to benefit from higher internet speeds as a result of NBN Co’s $4.5 billion new network investment plan.

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts the Hon Paul Fletcher MP said NBN Co had commenced work with construction delivery partners to design and construct local fibre networks passing at the street level around 100,000 premises in areas currently serviced by Fibre to the Node (FTTN) technology.

“NBN Co has included Eight Mile Plains as part of the initial roll out as the company anticipates strong demand for faster internet in the area, and NBN Co has established construction and delivery partners that are well resourced and ready to work,” Minister Fletcher said.

“The initial footprint represents only 5 per cent of the FTTN upgrade program, and NBN Co will continue to design and deploy new local fibre networks to pass 2 million premises over the next three years.”

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said as well as the benefits faster internet could provide, this investment by NBN Co would deliver a much needed boost to economic activity and employment in the region.

“The commencement of these works by NBN Co will create jobs for the Bonner community and support local businesses by allowing them to take advantage of the benefits that faster internet can provide,” Mr Vasta said.

“Households and businesses in Eight Mile Plains will be able to access NBN Co’s fastest internet plans of up to 1 gigabit per second, with the fibre lead-ins connecting premises to the new local fibre network only built when a customer orders an eligible service.”

NBN Co will work closely with internet retailers over the coming months to define the process by which eligible customers can express their interest in ordering a higher speed broadband service and acquiring a fibre lead-in to their premises.

February 11 is Safer Internet Day and to mark the occasion, Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP is hosting a Safer Internet Forum for Seniors to help educate older Australians on safely using the internet and avoiding scams.

Mr Vasta said the forum would empower older residents in his electorate to feel confident when logging on, and educate them on how to identify and avoid common scams.

“Navigating the online world for seniors can be quite daunting and full of uncertainties,” Mr Vasta said.

“We will have a guest speaker from the Office of Fair Trading who will discuss how to identify and avoid common scams online which unfortunately catch our too many people.

“The internet is a powerful tool that connects the world around us so but important we use it wisely and help vulnerable people in our community avoid getting caught out.”

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher MP said the Morrison Government’s Online Safety Act was helping combat fraudulent behaviour online.

“Australia has been at the forefront of online safety policy over the past two decades and the proposed reforms address the risk of evolving harms and build on our strong foundations,” Mr Fletcher said.

“The internet offers significant economic and social benefits, but these benefits will only be fully realised if Australians can engage confidently and safely in the online world.”

The Safer Internet for Senior’s forum will be held on Friday, February 21 at the Mount Gravatt Bowls Club from 9.30am.

For more information or to RSVP, email ross.vasta.mp.rsvp@aph.gov.au or phone (07) 3893 3488.