The Morrison government has awarded over half a million dollars in funding for the installation of fibre-to-the-premises NBN to a single business in the electorate of the deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, despite the government having previously argued against taxpayer funded fibre upgrades.
Fruit and vegetable grower Costa Group, which on Tuesday reported a 2021 yearly net profit after tax of $64m, is listed in documents provided to Senate estimates as the sole beneficiary of a planned upgrade from satellite NBN services to a full fibre to premises service. The upgrade is for the company’s tomato glasshouse facility in Guyra, in the New England electorate, as part of the federal government’s regional connectivity program.
