Proof the Liberals have No Clue About the Internet | Dirt Report

The disputed NBN wording

The Dirt Report focuses on a press release issued by Melissa McIntosh, the Liberal shadow minister for communications, on 22 July. Its title was “New Parliament: Same Communications Failures”.

According to the video, the release stated that Australians were waiting for the government’s $3 billion fibre-to-the-node rollout. TechManPat says this is the wrong description of the policy. The commitment discussed in the video was to spend $3 billion upgrading existing fibre-to-the-node connections to fibre to the premises, commonly abbreviated as FTTP.

The distinction is significant because fibre to the node and fibre to the premises describe different network arrangements. In the first, fibre runs to a node and the remaining connection uses another medium. In the second, the fibre connection extends to the premises. The video presents the wording error as particularly notable because McIntosh holds the communications portfolio for the Opposition.

The correction issue

The video states that the press release remained online without correction as at 2 August 2025, more than 10 days after publication. It suggests that either the error had not been noticed or had not been considered important enough to amend.

During question time on 29 July, communications minister Anakah Wells reportedly criticised the Liberals over the wording. The video paraphrases the minister’s response as questioning whether the Opposition understood the subject it was discussing.

The transcript does not provide a direct quotation from the press release or from the minister. The criticism and the description of the error are presented through TechManPat’s commentary on the available material.

Earlier political NBN claims

The episode places the incident alongside several earlier political statements about Australia’s broadband policy. It recalls Tony Abbott saying in 2013 that 25 megabits per second was sufficient for the average Australian household. It also refers to Malcolm Turnbull describing copper as a future-proof solution in 2016.

The video further mentions Mitch Fifield’s support for the multi-technology mix. These examples are used to argue that political discussions about the NBN have repeatedly included claims or descriptions that can be challenged on technical grounds.

The broader point is that communications infrastructure affects households and businesses, so inaccurate terminology can make it harder for the public to understand what a policy would actually deliver.

Why the terminology matters

Fibre-to-the-node and fibre-to-the-premises are not interchangeable labels. Confusing them can give voters a different impression of the intended network upgrade, its reach and the type of connection being discussed.

The video argues that both sides of politics should check technical details before publishing statements about the NBN. It places particular emphasis on the expectation that a shadow communications minister should be familiar with the distinction.