BROADBAND SERVICES

The Hon. L. STEVENS (Little Para) (15:25): My question is to the Minister for Science and Information Economy. What further progress has been made to improve access to broadband internet services in regional South Australia?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Youth, Minister for Gambling) (15:25): The intellectual giant! As members would recall—at least those who were listening—last year, I informed the house about the government's efforts to ensure that regional South Australians—that is the area outside of Adelaide, Michael—

The Hon. J.M. Rankine: Would it include Andamooka?

The Hon. P. CAICA: I know where Andamooka is, and I believe it would include Andamooka. I informed the house about the government's efforts to ensure that South Australians have access to fast and affordable broadband. As I mentioned at the time, the former federal government decided at that time to prematurely end the Broadband Connect subsidy, which put projects in our regional areas—in particular Yorke Peninsula, the Coorong and the Barossa and Light region—in a great deal of doubt.

Members will no doubt be pleased to learn that, through the Adelaide-based internet service provider Internode, customers are now being connected to its broadband service in Yorke Peninsula, which I am informed is the first region-wide deployment of this scale in Australia using the approved WiMAX standard.

WiMAX currently provides wireless broadband over distances of up to 30 kilometres from a base station and at speeds comparable with typical metropolitan ADSL services. I would like to again sincerely thank the member for Goyder for his support of the government's efforts on this issue. I can inform the house that he is a man with whom anyone on this side of the house can do business. He is a good operator. Residents of the Yorke Peninsula will now receive virtual blanket coverage of wireless broadband, subject to topographic and other wireless transmission issues.

Internode's new WiMAX network augments its pre-existing wireless broadband network on Yorke Peninsula. Customer connections have also been proceeding in the Coorong and the Barossa and Light region since late last year on the non-WiMAX wireless broadband networks installed in those regions by Internode and Amcom respectively.

Internode has also installed three WiMAX base stations in the Coorong region, in addition to its existing Coorong-based wireless broadband network. This equipment is currently being commissioned and tested, and customer connections are expected to begin shortly. These Coorong base stations will enable higher speed wireless broadband services to be delivered over a significant part of the Coorong council area.

The government's strategy of working closely with local communities through local government and regional development boards to develop whole-of-region broadband solutions has delivered substantial results. We will continue to adopt this strategy in ongoing negotiations with the OPEL consortium and we will work with local groups in regions not covered by OPEL to achieve the widest possible terrestrial broadband penetration.

The government has invested over $3 million in facilitating new broadband infrastructure, and this amount has leveraged additional funds through federal and local governments, as well as the private sector. I think that if there is anything to learn and reinforce from this particular process it is that it is a tremendous result which demonstrates the effectiveness of what has been genuine collaboration in achieving the best outcomes for South Australians in the regions.