So, Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) is finally starting to launch an Fibre To The Node (FTTN) service, after cancelling it's own version of our UFB program.  So as a country it will be upgrading to where most of NZ was back in 2008, after Telecom deployed FTTN to most urban areas.  Their NBN will also be patched up with co-axial cable, which is already struggling with increased traffic

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/21/nbn_fibretothenode_launched/

http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2015/09/15/deluded_aussie_geeks_hail_turnbulls_elevation_to_prime_minister/

I read The Register regularly, and been watching how they've managed to gradually stuff it up, going back to the failure of reigning in the power of Telstra, who said either give us freedom from regulation in exchange for helping build Fibre To The Premises, or be fought by them all the way.  It was good the NZ government were able to enforce the Spark/Chorus separation to prevent that happening here.

It will end up costing Australia about as much as if they just went and built a full FTTP network now. Instead they'll just have to do  it all again in a decade or two's time, whilst we in NZ will be streaming ahead with UFB. .