Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
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Seems to have been a fair bit happening this week.
Interestingly we see the ADHA getting back to releasing press releases – I wonder why? 2 in 2 weeks after none for months.
Looking forward to the ADHA CEO’s justification of RoboDebt at the Royal Commission!
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ADHA signs agreement with HL7 Australia
Wednesday, 24 August, 2022
The Australian Digital Health Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding with Health Level Seven Australia Ltd (HL7) to support the development and implementation of digital health standards and specifications.
Agency CEO Amanda Cattermole said the partnership affirms the importance of a thriving digital health standards ecosystem and would have a direct impact on consumers gaining better access to their health information through the Australian healthcare system.
“The objective is to create a new era of digital health in Australia with strong governance. This means open and collaborative processes for the agreement, development, testing, publishing and maintenance of digital health standards.
“Digital health standards are critical to the safe, secure and seamless movement of consumer health information between different healthcare providers,” she said.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/adha-ties-hl7-nationwide-fhir-adoption
ADHA ties up with HL7 for nationwide FHIR adoption
This comes as the agency enforces the government's plan to fully connect the country's health system by 2027.
By Adam Ang
August 24, 2022 03:09 AM
The Australian Digital Health Agency is collaborating with Health Level Seven Australia to support the consistent adoption of digital health standards across Australia's health system.
The organisations recently signed a memorandum of understanding to improve connectivity across the national healthcare system.
According to a media release, the partnership aims to foster a "vibrant" Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) community in Australia. They will also support the standards community to grow in size and expertise while "more clearly" communicating requirements for standards for national acceptance across public and private health and social care.
Moreover, they will provide training, education, and uplift activities to assist health workers in using the new standards.
Additionally, the organisations will continue supporting the widely-used V2 and CDA standards in the transition to FHIR.
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Australian Digital Health Agency signs agreement with HL7 Australia to help connect Australia’s healthcare system
Published 24 August 2022
The Australian Digital Health Agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Health Level Seven Australia Ltd (HL7) to support the robust development and implementation of digital health standards and specifications to help improve connectivity across the national healthcare system.
Agency CEO Amanda Cattermole said the Agency’s partnership with HL7 affirms the importance of a thriving digital health standards ecosystem and would have a direct impact on consumers gaining better access to their health information through the Australian healthcare system.
“Digital health standards are critical to the safe, secure and seamless movement of consumer health information between different healthcare providers,” she said.
“Fostering and enabling interoperability in the health system is critically important and standards have a key role to play.
“The objective is to create a new era of digital health in Australia with strong governance. This means open, and collaborative processes for the agreement, development, testing, publishing and maintenance of digital health standards.”
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Australian health info managers want more investments in analytics, auditing software: survey
HIS directors and staff have been found to have different views on certain department matters.
By Adam Ang
August 23, 2022 04:02 AM
Health information managers in Australia want their hospitals to invest more in analytics and auditing software, reflecting their desire for high coding quality and professional evolution that is inclined to analysis.
This is according to a recently published survey report by Code Focus, the coding and clinical auditing arm of IT consultancy firm Data Agility.
Its survey gathered responses from 87 HIMs to gain their insights about health information systems (HIS) departments and hospital data quality.
FINDINGS
The survey found that about a third of all respondents want their hospitals to invest more in analytics and/or auditing software. According to Code Focus, senior management will see better business outcomes by providing HIMs with tools for analysing data and coding quality.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/hospital-on-wheels-offers-remote-care-to-sydneys-homeless-population/
23 August 2022
Hospital-on-wheels offers remote care to Sydney’s homeless population
A new mobile health clinic on the streets in Sydney is using telehealth to provide people experiencing homelessness with access to specialist care.
Being able to access hospital services outside of a hospital setting will be “game changing” for vulnerable patients who find it difficult to visit emergency rooms to receive care, Erin Longbottom, service manager of the mobile clinic, told Wild Health.
“It will really increase access to care for those who really struggle to access services in the hospital. Having state-of-the-art telehealth services and video-conferencing capacities means that patients can see a specialist sitting in a clinic while they’re in a space that they feel comfortable, I think that’s really key,” she said.
Funded by St Vincent’s Health Australia Inclusive Health Program, the vehicle features a range of equipment designed to identify and manage chronic diseases in vulnerable populations.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/western-health-rebuilds-identity-management-system
Western Health rebuilds identity management system
The upgraded system features a single sign-on and allows one identity for all internal systems.
By Adam Ang
August 24, 2022 03:05 AM
Western Health in Victoria has engaged IT solutions and managed services provider Logicalis Australia to separate and rebuild its old identity management system which it shared with two other major hospitals.
The health service manages four acute public hospitals – Sunshine Hospital, Footscray Hospital, Williamstown Hospital and Bacchus Marsh, as well as some community-based care services.
WHY IT MATTERS
Western Health had to quickly tackle the rapid changes brought by the global pandemic. It had to swiftly transition to remote work, redirect its resources to establish a vaccination hub, and at one point, manage nursing homes. Prior to the pandemic, it was fast growing as a healthcare provider, onboarding 3,000 new staff within a year, and was about to embark on a major merger project with Djerriwarrh Health Services.
Amid all this, Western Health tapped Logicalis to rework its old identity management system, which it saw as a "major impediment" to its merger. The system, which was based on Microsoft Active Directory, manages identity, authentication and authorisation for all users of its network and IT resources.
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Cubiko developers launch cloud-based interoperability platform Halo Connect
The platform provides Best Practice Premier integrators with a single point of integration via a REST and FHIR-compliant API.
By Adam Ang
August 23, 2022 04:04 AM
The developers of the practice intelligence platform Cubiko have put up a new cloud-based interoperability platform for healthcare software integrators through an undisclosed investment from medical software provider Best Practice Software.
They also sought the assistance of startup incubator Aginic Ventures in developing the said platform.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Called Halo Connect, the platform provides Bp Premier integrators with a single point of integration via a REST and FHIR-compliant API. It was built to seamlessly connect healthcare data on-premise and cloud infrastructure in a "safe, secure and scalable way".
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Roundup: NSW Ambulance gets new cardiac care tech and more briefs
Also, Asthma New Zealand has deployed a new CRM system to enhance health data collection from communities.
By Adam Ang
August 26, 2022 12:52 AM
NSW Ambulance to roll out latest cardiac care tech
NSW Ambulance is receiving new technology and equipment worth over A$55 million ($38 million) from the state government to enhance their provision of cardiac care.
The ambulance package includes a new cardiac notification platform – supplied by Device Technologies Australia – which improves communication by assisting with the transfer of clinical observation data from ambulances and regional hospitals to tertiary hospitals.
The package also includes additional 550 mechanical CPR Lucas devices, as well as 1,400 Corpuls ECG/defibrillation devices, which weigh less than the services' former defibrillators and can perform non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, capnography, pulse oximetry, temperature recording and pacing.
The rollout of this technology package is a joint initiative between NSW Ambulance, NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation and eHealth NSW.
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https://audiology.asn.au/ccms.r?Pageid=10056&tenid=AUDA&DispMode=goto|10332&Return=PageTop|11|10335
June, 2021
Australian Digital Health Agency seeking information on diagnostic audiology reports
Assistance required: Australian Digital Health Agency seeking information on diagnostic audiology reports
The Australian Digital Health Agency is developing a diagnostic reporting specification for the electronic exchange of diagnostic reports. An aspect of the Agency’s work is to support the exchange of diagnostic audiology reports.
The Agency is seeking assistance with the following questions:
(1) Are there best practice report guidelines currently in use by audiologists?
(2) Are any terminologies in use or endorsed e.g. SNOMED CT?
(3) To what degree are diagnostic audiology reports created using specific provider format and content as decided by the audiology clinic/organisation?
caused by quota to HIMs and clinical coders.
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https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/racgp/in-practice-countdown-to-women-s-health-week
In Practice: Countdown to Women’s Health Week
25 Aug 2022
……
Become
a digital health expert advisor
The Australian
Digital Health Agency (ADHA) is seeking applications through a Request for
Tender process for suitably qualified and experienced individuals to join their
group of expert advisors who will support the agency’s program of work.
As a digital health expert advisor, you will apply everyday health industry
experience to the design, development and implementation of ADHA products and
services. This includes focusing on the clinical safety, quality and usability
of all products and services developed by the ADHA, along with the systems
within which the ADHA operates.
Applications close 19 September. More information and applications are available
online.
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https://www.tenders.gov.au/Atm/Show/c75b229e-e5c1-4fbb-8484-f39316be4f07
Current ATM View - RFT_DH4303
Digital Health Expert Advisors
Email Address:
RFQ_TResponses@digitalhealth.gov.au
ATM ID: RFT_DH4303
Agency: Australian Digital Health Agency
Category: 85100000 - Comprehensive health services
Close Date & Time:
19-Sep-2022 2:00 pm (ACT Local Time)
Publish Date: 23-Aug-2022
ATM Type: Request for Tender
Description:
The Digital Health Expert Advisors panel are drawn from healthcare providers and administrators with digital health subject matter expertise from across the health sector. They are selected based on their current healthcare experience and their ability to apply their digital health expertise to the Agency’s products and services. Their strategic contribution is valuable to senior executives as well as program areas.
Panel members represent the Agency within the general community and in various local and national committees and promotional activities. The panel is a positive representation of engagement between the Agency and the healthcare provider community, advocating for the Agency, and the products and services we provide.
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My Health record Q&A webinar @ George Town Library
Wed Sep 7, 2022
My Health record Q&A webinar @ George Town Library
Join us and get all of your My Health Record questions answered by
an expert.
About this Event
Join this free interactive webinar powered by Humanitix and hosted by Good Things Foundation Australia. Watch in this group session at the library to get all of your My Health questions answered by an expert. My Health Record is an Australian government digital health website.
As this program is currently modified to meet public gathering restrictions, we have limited spaces available.
We ask that you please register here, or call your local library on (03) 6702 6090 if you need help making a booking. If you are no longer able to make an event, please let us know so that others don’t miss out.
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https://www.seek.com.au/job/58110236?type=standout#sol=04503bd22ea9d8b6ea09d0feab58a547f9cac05c
Director, My Health Record and Digital Products
Australian Digital Health Agency
Brisbane QLD
Product Management & Development (Information & Communication Technology)
$149,194 - $176,637
Full time
14 August, 2022
About the Role
The Australian Digital Health Agency has exciting opportunity for a proven leader to join our team as the Director, My Health Record and Digital Products (Executive Level 2).
The Digital Strategy Division is responsible for national digital health design and strategy, underpinned by strong clinical governance and digital health standards.
As the Director, My Health Record and Digital Products you will be accountable (under broad direction) to undertake very complex work to develop, drive, and implement the product strategy and roadmap for strategically significant products to meet the Agency’s business objectives and interoperability needs of the Australian healthcare sector.
You will work closely with all branches and business units across the Agency, other government agencies, jurisdictions, clinical peak bodies and medical software developers to gain an in-depth understanding of the strategic workplan, government initiatives, technical infrastructure and services, roadmap, and the context in which the Agency operates and maintains the relevant products. You will also:
- Manage the prioritisation, definition and delivery of fit-for-purpose end products and ensure the team works on the right priorities based on business value and customer needs, balancing this with any associated risks to maximise value; and
- be required to produce briefings and provide high level of advice to senior management and Ministers as well as coordinating and assuming responsibility for highly complex or sensitive projects or work programs that have strategic, political and/or operational significance.
This is an exciting opportunity for suitably qualified and experienced leader to deliver influential and positive contributions to the Government’s National and Digital Health agendas for the good of the Australian people.
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https://www.seek.com.au/job/58195975?type=standout#sol=49b5b8e19dd3f1e48ef382a775485440b36ae136
Team Lead Incident Management
Australian Digital Health Agency
Brisbane QLD
Management (Information & Communication Technology)
$125,047 - $142,618
Full time
19 August, 2022
About the Role
As an Incident Manager, you will hold a pivotal role in the day-to-day management of Major Incidents within the Agency driving restoration, recovery and review of Major Incidents based on best practice within an ITIL Framework. You also play an active role in the implementation and transformation of Incident Management, policies, processes, and procedures, with a focus on continual service improvement
Reporting to the Director of Incident and Problem Management Team, the Team Lead will be responsible for:
- Managing response, resolution, and post-incident review of all incidents to ensure deficiencies are identified, learnings are documented, and remediation activities carried out to limit risk of future recurrence.
- Managing a team of Incident Coordinators.
- Identify, design and Implement innovative solutions to expand and improve Incident Management.
- Responsible for the operational delivery management of our production environments.
- Responsible for monitoring and co-ordinating with resolve groups, vendors, and asset owners to resolve the incident in line with resolution SLA's to deliver a customer focused service.
- Support the creation and maintenance of the incident, and event management process flow documentation to ensure consistency with the Process Quality Framework. Actively participate in Continual Service Improvement by identifying improvements to the incident, major incident management processes.
- This is an on-call position and will be required to go on a roster with other team members to support 24x7 Major Incident Management.
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https://www.seek.com.au/job/58128545?type=standout#sol=461f22cd64bcf84caae5674b4b0ff40dcbb8b28b
Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Australian Digital Health Agency
Brisbane QLD
PA, EA & Secretarial (Administration & Office Support)
$90,901 - $98,303
Full time
16 August, 2022
About the Role
The Executive Assistant is responsible for providing high level executive support to the CEO. The Executive Assistant is the front door to the Office of the CEO and is responsible for communicating and building relationships with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders. They also provide guidance to other Executive Assistants and Business Support Officers.
The Executive Assistant will be responsible for the following, but not limited to:
- Provide high level executive support including management of the CEO’s diary and travel and assistance with corporate functions (eg HR, finance and IT matters).
- Assist in managing the inflow and outflow of documents in the office.
- Proactively assist the CEO in preparing for meetings.
- Develop and maintain internal and external relationships (including with the Agency Board Chair and Agency SES).
- Support internal and external networks (including Executive Assistants and Business Support Officers).
To be successful in this role you will have previous experience delivering high quality and reliable executive support to senior executives working within a fast paced, highly complex and confidential environment. You will demonstrate high level communication and interpersonal skills; the ability to build productive working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders; well-developed time management, prioritisation and problem solving skills as well as attention to detail and discretion.
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https://www.ama.com.au/ama-rounds/26-august-2022/articles/mt-druitt-doctors-data-driven-practice
Mt Druitt doctor’s data-driven practice
Published 25 August 2022
General practitioner Dr Kean-Seng Lim discusses the ‘art of medicine’ and more with the MJA.
The AMA’s journal—the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA)—this week features a podcast interview with Dr Kean-Seng Lim. Dr Lim is a GP, former President of AMA NSW, and this year’s recipient of the AMA Excellence in Healthcare award.
Dr Lim spoke to MJA news and online editor Cate Swannell and in a wide-ranging discussion offered his thoughts on the present and future of general practice in Australia.
He told the MJA he was not immediately drawn to general practice, but it was on his list of career paths.
“General practice was always on my list of possible medical specialties to enter, and it wasn't the only one. Ultimately why I chose general practice comes down to why I chose medicine in the first place—so for me medicine was about people. It was a combination of being able to apply a certain type of skill set, so that sort of scientific skill set, but also that organisational type skill set, to helping people. So it's very much about people.”
Dr Lim said that working in the hospital system gave him perspective as to how general practice might better align with his own healthcare interests.
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New OAIC My Health Record security and access policy template and accompanying e-Learning module
Published 25 August 2022
A new My Health Record security and access policy template is now available to assist healthcare providers to comply with their obligations under Rule 42 of the My Health Records Rule 2016.
Rule 42 of the My Health Records Rule 2016 requires healthcare provider organisations to establish, communicate and enforce a written security and access policy in order to register, and remain registered, with the My Health Record system.
The policy template was developed by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), in collaboration with the Australian Digital Health Agency. Input was also provided by clinical peaks, Primary Health Networks and advisers from a range of healthcare settings and disciplines.
The Agency has also developed an e-Learning module to accompany the security and access policy template, with input from advisers from various healthcare settings and disciplines. The e-Learning module is designed to support healthcare providers in using the policy template by outlining the practical steps that should be followed when drafting a security and access policy for their organisation.
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https://www.miragenews.com/ama-outlines-its-vision-for-interoperable-842838/
AMA outlines its vision for interoperable healthcare system
Australian Medical Association
25 August, 2022
The AMA Federal Council in July adopted the AMA Position Statement on System Interoperability in Healthcare.
Following the adoption and publication of the AMA Vision for Digital Health earlier this year, this new AMA position statement further elaborates on what the AMA sees as the key priority for the future of digital health in Australia.
The AMA position statement articulates the AMA support for a more connected healthcare system that will enable more equitable access to medical care. It calls for interoperability across intersecting health and human services sectors, including acute care, primary care, allied health, community care, as well as aged and disability services, in order to achieve more efficient and effective methods of healthcare delivery and enable whole of person care.
The AMA Position Statement can be viewed here: https://www.ama.com.au/articles/ama-position-statement-system-interoperability-healthcare-2022
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/gps-warned-avoid-intimate-examinations-kids-over-telehealth
GPs warned to avoid intimate examinations of kids over telehealth
Doctors say it is important children learn it is never appropriate to expose their genitalia to a camera
25th August 2022
Intimate examinations of children via telehealth might inadvertently increase the risk of online sexual grooming, GPs are being warned.
Asking a child to undress in front of a phone or computer camera, even for a medical examination with a parent present, may normalise the type of behaviour that sexual predators would encourage, according to paediatric endocrinologists writing in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Dr Jacky Hewitt said she co-authored the journal letter after the issue arose during her own consults.
“Since the pandemic, we’ve seen quite a number of families via telehealth who have tried to undress their child to show the physical development of their chest or genital area over web camera,” she told Australian Doctor.
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https://www.eventbrite.com.au/cc/your-health-in-your-hands-digital-health-help-969939
Your health in your hands - digital health help
This series of digital health workshops run at our Libraries will help you learn how to manage your health and wellbeing online, and is done in partnership with My Health Record, Good -Things Foundation & the Australian Government Digital Health Industry.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/absence-of-progress-as-the-nbn-strikes-out-again/
Absence of progress as the NBN strikes out again
Mark Gregory
Contributor
24 August 2022
The NBN Company has released a discussion paper on its Special Access Undertaking variation and commenced a new round of talks with the competition regulator, service providers and consumer advocacy groups.
In response to the government’s instruction that NBN Co was to withdraw the Special Access Undertaking variation that it previously submitted to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in March 2022, the company has now put forward minor changes, which really only serve to underline why the government needs to refresh the decision-making at NBN Co.
The key issue for the government is timing. NBN Co has proposed that it phase out the data usage Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC) charge by July 2026 and introduce connection only Access Virtual Circuit (AVC) charges for 100 Mbps and above wholesale speed tiers by July 2023.
The AVC should be removed from all speed tiers by July 2023.
The proposal that the CVC would remain until after the next federal election is unacceptable and unnecessary.
Australia’s telecommunications market has been hampered by its focus on bitstream charging over the past three decades and it is time for change.
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TPG Telecom may have price-modelled itself into an NBN CVC 'windfall'
By Ry Crozier on Aug 26, 2022 12:08PM
Analysis: Questioning anomalous customer movements.
TPG Telecom mass-migrated 300,000 50Mbps NBN users - one-third of its user base on the tier - up to 100Mbps services in the three months to March 31, only to move some back to 50Mbps again, in what appears to be evidence of a sophisticated NBN price modelling play.
The ACCC’s quarterly wholesale market indicators report, released last week, showed an anomalous mass-movement of customers between the 50Mbps and 100Mbps tiers.
TPG Telecom is the only major retail service provider (RSP) to experience a mass customer movement like this between 50Mbps and 100Mbps in the first six months of the year.
That immediately suggests it acted alone and on its own information, which iTnews has been able to partially confirm.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/gov-asked-to-reconsider-future-nbn-mobile-funding-injections-584325
Gov asked to reconsider future NBN, mobile funding injections
By Ry Crozier on Aug 24, 2022 6:30AM
Productivity Commission proposes an alternative way.
The federal government should reconsider the way it pumps money into NBN upgrades, mobile towers and other communications infrastructure, because the benefits of these injections aren’t transparent, the Productivity Commission has said.
In an interim report [pdf] on digital technology released overnight, the commission criticised what it saw as a “lack of transparency” around how investments are made in digital infrastructure by the government “and which priorities are pursued.”
In particular, the commission singled out investment in NBN upgrades, such as the $480 million government injection to upgrade the fixed wireless network announced earlier this year, as well as the government’s mobile blackspots program (MBSP) and regional connectivity program (RCP).
“Allocating funding under programs such as the NBN, MBSP and RCP to specific areas or connection types means less funding available for investment in another location or technology,” the commission said.
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Monday, 22 August 2022 21:53
Aussie Broadband's nbn Enterprise Ethernet opens Australian businesses to the world
It doesn't matter what the problem is, the answer is more power. Well, not really - but in seriousness, when it comes to bandwidth it’s certainly true more means more, and Aussie Broadband has you covered with 1000/1000Mbps symmetrical nbn Enterprise Ethernet plans.
Businesses and enterprises of all sizes are increasingly using cloud services - for their own business use, as well as providing services to customers - and increasingly adopting video conferencing and conferencing and collaboration. They’re working with big data, connecting all manner of IoT devices, looking to push analytics and processing to the edge, and embracing many other emerging technologies.
All this means the network is critical to business. And a critical service deserves the best. Your network is a force multiplier; it enables your business to communicate, service customers, create and collaborate, gather data and work with that data.
While FTTN, FTTC, and HFC technologies have helped connect many businesses, they may also constrain your growth. It’s time to move from 100/40Mbps speeds to the incredible 1000/1000Mbps symmetrical plans available on nbn Enterprise Ethernet.
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Enjoy!
David.
