Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert says he will pay back thousands of dollars of home internet bills, which he admits were higher than community expectations.

The Queensland MP came under scrutiny over his home internet costs, after it was revealed taxpayers spent $2832 in just one month on his 4G broadband connection.

Mr Robert says his “semi-rural” home in Nerang, near the Pacific Highway on the Gold Coast, is too far from the telephone exchange to get broadband, so he was forced to use a 4G wireless connection.

He said his taxpayer-funded internet bills will soon drop back to normal levels.

“I can confirm that the NBN is now being rolled out in my local area and I have a connection appointment booked in,” he said in a statement on Friday.

“When installed, this will result in an immediate drop in costs to a level similar to other parliamentarians.”

Parliamentary expense records in the three months to May show Mr Robert spent more than $2000 a month on average for his Gold Coast residence.

Mr Robert has been charging taxpayers more than $1000 per month for data at his home since 2016.

Mr Robert told Fairfax Media he racked up a high bill in May because he used 300 gigabytes of data, so had to pay for extra after exceeding his 50GB limit.

Optus currently offers unlimited 4G broadband for $90 a month, while Exetel offers 250Gb a month for just $70.
It’s understood the NBN won’t be rolled out in some parts of Nerang until the first quarter of 2019.

“I’ve asked the special minister of state to report back to me,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Tasmania on Friday.

“Once I’ve heard from the special minister of state, then we’ll take the next step.”

“I think (voters would) want an explanation and that’s why I’ve asked for one.”

-AAP