The claim contains two distinct allegations that require verification.
**On breaking the election promise for 25Mbps:**
The Coalition's 2013 broadband policy promised a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps by the end of 2016, with a range of 25-100 Mbps for most premises [1].
After taking office in September 2013, the Coalition did maintain the 25 Mbps minimum speed target but changed the technology from Labor's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) model to a multi-technology mix (MTM) incorporating fiber-to-the-node (FTTN), HFC cable, and other technologies [2].
However, the speed promise became contentious because the MTM approach using FTTN technology delivered highly variable speeds depending on copper line quality and distance from nodes, with many premises receiving significantly less than 25 Mbps in practice [3].
**On cost exceeding promises:**
This allegation is factually accurate.
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed this blowout but argued the final cost would still be "around $30 billion less than what it would cost to go down the route the Labor Party had set the company on" [6].
**Labor's NBN had its own cost and timeline issues:**
The claim omits that Labor's original FTTP-based NBN plan, announced in 2009 with a $43 billion price tag, also experienced significant cost overruns and delays [8].
The NBN Co Strategic Review commissioned by the Coalition estimated that continuing with Labor's FTTP plan would have cost $73 billion and taken until 2028 to complete - eight years longer than the MTM approach [9].
**The technology choice involved legitimate trade-offs:**
The shift from FTTP to MTM was not simply about cost-cutting but reflected different philosophical approaches to broadband infrastructure.
The Coalition's MTM promised faster rollout and lower initial costs but with lower speed ceilings and reliance on aging copper infrastructure [10].
**Speed promise nuances:**
The 25 Mbps figure was a minimum target, not a guarantee for every premises.
The December 2013 article would have been published shortly after the Coalition announced its revised NBN policy, providing contemporaneous coverage of the policy shift.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
**Search conducted:** "Labor government NBN cost overruns original estimate 2009 2013"
**Finding:** Labor's NBN had comparable issues with cost and timeline management.
* * * *
Labor's original 2009 NBN announcement promised:
- Cost: $43 billion [13]
- Timeline: 8 years (completion by 2017)
- Technology: 93% fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP)
By 2013, under Labor's management:
- The rollout was significantly behind schedule
- Costs had already begun escalating
- Only a fraction of the promised premises had been connected
- NBN Co had to repeatedly revise its corporate plan with extended timelines
The Coalition's Strategic Review estimated that continuing with Labor's FTTP plan would cost $73 billion - $30 billion more than the MTM alternative [14].
**Policy rationale for the Coalition's approach:**
The Coalition argued that Labor's FTTP plan was taking too long and costing too much, leaving many Australians without adequate broadband for years.
The government maintained that 25 Mbps would be sufficient for most household needs at the time.
**Legitimate criticisms of the Coalition approach:**
Critics, including former NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley, argued that the MTM approach was a false economy.
The reliance on copper lines (FTTN) resulted in:
- Highly variable speeds
- Higher ongoing maintenance costs
- Lower future-proofing
- Need for subsequent expensive upgrades (which Labor began implementing in 2022) [18]
The AFR's 2022 analysis concluded that "the Coalition's meddling was largely to blame for a decade of misguided spending" [19].
**Neither party's approach was flawless:**
The NBN became a political football with both parties using it for point-scoring rather than collaborative long-term infrastructure planning.
The fundamental challenge - building nationwide broadband to a vast, sparsely populated continent - was always going to be difficult regardless of technology choice [20].
The claim's framing ignores that Labor's NBN also had significant cost and timeline issues, with their original $43 billion estimate being unrealistic.
The Coalition's MTM approach delivered lower costs than Labor's FTTP plan would have (per the Strategic Review), but still exceeded its own initial estimates.
The claim's framing ignores that Labor's NBN also had significant cost and timeline issues, with their original $43 billion estimate being unrealistic.
The Coalition's MTM approach delivered lower costs than Labor's FTTP plan would have (per the Strategic Review), but still exceeded its own initial estimates.