Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity

The Hon Kelvin Thomson MP
Federal Member for Wills

Melbourne's first NBN cafe officially opened

Minister for Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and Member for Wills, Kelvin Thomson, have today officially opened Melbourne's first NBN cafe - Hungry Birds Cafe in Brunswick, Victoria.

The cafe is attached to a building housing eight small businesses, all of which are connected to the NBN's fixed line high-speed broadband.

"Not only does Hungry Birds provide great food and coffee, but its customers can also experience the speed of the NBN through free Wi-Fi," Senator Conroy said.

"This is the first cafe in Melbourne connected to the NBN, but as the rollout gathers pace I expect cafes like this will become the norm. It is great to see a small business like Hungry Birds embrace the NBN."

"Cafe culture is an essential part of Brunswick life. Melbournians love nothing better than getting together, eating food, drinking coffee, and increasingly getting online. The speed and reliability of the NBN complements this culture so well," Mr Thomson said.

"Our customers are always our number one priority. That's why our cafe is focused on delivering quality - whether that is with our food and coffee; or the fast broadband provided by the NBN," Hungry Birds owners Anne-Marie De-Boni and Ruth Quirk.

To show the NBN's capabilities over Wi-Fi, Senator Conroy and Mr Thomson were part of a video conference with three NBN-enabled Digital Hubs in Brunswick; Townsville, Queensland; and Kiama, New South Wales.

"The clarity and quality of the picture and audio provided via Hungry Bird's NBN Wi-Fi is something that can't be matched by the broadband available to most Australians today. This technology is essential for Australia's future," Senator Conroy said.

Brunswick is one of the first places in Australia with access to the National Broadband Network. The NBN is now available in more than 2,700 homes and businesses in Brunswick, with NBN construction currently underway for another 14,500 premises in the area.

Across Victoria, fibre construction will have started or be completed to 691,600 homes and businesses by mid-2015.

Under the Gillard Government, all Australians, wherever they live, will be able to access fast, reliable and affordable broadband through the NBN.

Date: Thursday 12 July 2012
Contact: Senator Conroy's Office - Adam Sims 0408 258 457
Mr Thomson's Office - Anthony Cianflone 0419 386 950