NBN at heart of Minister's SW visit

Federal Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised 55,000 homes in the Forrest electorate will be connected to the National Broadband Network within two years.

Mr Turnbull was in Bunbury on Tuesday for a four-hour visit, meeting with South West local government representatives and business groups, and attending a fundraising lunch.

In an interview with the _South Western Times _, Mr Turnbull conceded the NBN had been the major topic of discussion during his trip.

"The big concern is connectivity - getting the NBN built," he said.

"Of course it's true we can't do everywhere at the same time and of course it's patchy - broadband can be very good in some places and not far away it can be very bad.

"It is a question of moving the project along and we are doing that but it is always good to get the local feedback."

Mr Turnbull said the construction of the fixed-line NBN in Bunbury, Busselton and Collie would begin in a few months. About 3000 homes in the region are already connected to the NBN.

The former Opposition Leader toured Bunbury along with Forrest MHR Nola Marino and is the second high-profile member of Cabinet to visit after Prime Minister Tony Abbott late last year.

"Malcolm understands this region really well," Mrs Marino said.

"We have worked with his office and himself for a lot of years in opposition and he is well aware of the under-serviced nature here."

Mr Turnbull also met with staff at Vue Group and spoke with managing director Alan Lindsay about its joint venture with the Shanghai Hippo Animation company to build a multi-million-dollar Chinese film studio in Bunbury.