NBN prices to skyrocket for 6 million Australian customers. Increases follow approval of…
More than 6 million Australian customers
face an average increase of 8% on their monthly NBN costs.
The price increases
have been revealed following on from the approval by the ACCC last week of
Labor’s plan to increase NBN prices.
Under the new plan,
the prices the NBN charges to retailers will increase. Retailers will then pass
on those increases to Australian families. Retailer Aussie Broadband is the
first retailer to reveal its increased prices following on from the new plan.
According to the
ACCC, more than 6 million Australian customers currently have a 12, 25 or 50
Mbps NBN plan. This represents about 75% of all NBN customers.
Aussie Broadband has
revealed price increases for those plans of an average of more than 8%. For
families on the lowest cost plan, who are likely to feel the impact the most,
the increase is more than 10%.
Shadow
Communications Minister David Coleman said that these huge increases were
coming at the worst possible time, during a cost of living crisis.
“The Albanese
Government has said that the NBN price increases represent a ‘positive outcome
for households’ (Rowland statement, 17 October 2023). But
families will now be forced to pay much more for their Internet. How can that
be a ‘positive outcome’ in the middle of a cost of living crisis?
“Mr Albanese
promised to reduce electricity prices by $275 – instead, they have gone through
the roof. Now his Government is describing big increases on Internet prices as
a ‘positive outcome’ for families. The Government has decoupled from reality,
and is completely out of touch with the huge cost of living pressures being
faced by Australian families,” Mr Coleman said.
Mr Coleman said the
Coalition would be pursuing questions on this issue in Senate Estimates in
Canberra today.