Parliamentary Committees

Economic and Finance Committee: National Broadband Network

Debate resumed.

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (11:24): I wish to make a small contribution. I also recognise the young people in the gallery. Indeed, part of the reason for the report is based around the infrastructure that has been supported by all parties, and there is no doubt about that. There are different ways in the argy-bargy about how to achieve it, but it is about a $50 billion project that is occurring around our nation and it is being done, in a lot of ways, for these young people as an example of trying to ensure that connectivity exists for them.

I also commend the Economic and Finance Committee. I was a member of the committee for some period, but I have not been on it for a couple of years. I am actually really pleased to see that they are looking into this because, by virtue of undertaking the inquiry, they are informing members about the issues across all of South Australia regarding the NBN. We are contacted—and certainly I am as one of the regional MPs—by constituents who have questions to pose about it or concerns about information access or differences seemingly in the service provision: is it to be the hardwired stuff or is it to be satellite?

I know that in the Goyder electorate, north of my southern boundary at Two Wells, I am told by constituents that there is a concern that satellite will seemingly be the solution for those on the western side of the highway, but for those on the eastern side of Port Wakefield Road it will be the copper hardwired option. It really is a key issue. I know information flow to people about time frames and how it is to be achieved frustrates them when it is not readily available.

I have a small example to give about the profound difference that it can make and this, in my case, occurred about 15 years ago when, in my local government role prior to my parliamentary role, the Yorke Peninsula area wanted to ensure that information flow existed for the four different offices of the Yorke Peninsula Council. The technology that was in place then was not readily available so there was a real need to work with providers, significantly from financial support that came from federal and state government.

I recognise those dollars that came through to actually achieve the technology to allow the connectivity to exist between their administrative structures at that time. Without that, it was near bedlam, I must say, so the fact that support has existed for a long time to improve their infrastructure to a great capacity is recognised. I just hope that the delivery of the NBN in its fulsome way occurs much sooner rather than later. I know that a variety of time frames have been put in place, particularly as we approach 2 July. There is a lot of debate about it from time to time, but it is actually a key one.

I am grateful that the Economic and Finance Committee has done this report. I am pleased by the information flow that comes from it. I was rather surprised to read in the opening comments from the Chair that there were only 18 submissions. I would have thought there would have been a lot more people than that. I suppose in some ways that shows that we, as a parliament, and we, as individual members, need to ensure that our communities are aware of inquiries that the parliament is undertaking so that feedback can be from a much larger base on this because this is one that impacts everybody. The time frames on the eventual delivery will be there.

It scares me, as it does many other people, when we talk about a five with that many zeros that follow it for the cost of the delivery of the service, but it is an investment that is being made by our nation for our nation's future. It is a very sound investment, and we have to ensure that the outcomes from it are the best and that what we have in place is a system that will serve us for decades. Technology changes and improvements are able to be achieved through tweaking, but it is one that is brought to my attention and it is an issue that I talk to my telephone service providers about also because, whilst they are not directly involved in it, they were able to provide me with some information on it from their application.

As in the case of the member for Flinders, I am from a regional community too, and access and opportunities for all is really one of the core principles that I hold to. I know from the health service provision, with the current range of services available in our community, that even though we are a more mobile community now than we were decades ago, there is, by virtue of the technology that exists, an expectation for communities to be able to access advice, treatments and reviews of situations via that technology. I hope, as part of the rollout of services that stem from the NBN's full range of services, that not only do health and education get it, but communities, by their needs, become the long-term beneficiaries of it. I commend the committee and the report and look forward to its passing.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (11:29): I would also like to make a contribution and be very supportive of this report. As the other speakers have alluded to, it is something that is critically important to Australia for its future. As both the member for Flinders and the member for Goyder have indicated, regional Australia, by virtue of the fact that it is regional Australia and does not have the population, is seen to be down the track in getting a lot of this NBN rolled out. I can understand that. What is taken for granted in metropolitan areas around the nation and big regional towns filters out slowly to electorates like my own.

I want to pay particular tribute to the member for Mayo, Jamie Briggs. He has been tireless in pushing the NBN cause across the electorate of Mayo and he has been tireless also on the issue of phone towers for wider telephone communication. I have not heard a squeak out of Xenophon and his team on it, but Jamie has been out there for the last few years, pushing and agitating to get NBN rollout and, as was alluded to also by the member for Flinders, the satellite version of the NBN.

Quite simply, we do not expect to have cables rolled out for the NBN here, there and everywhere. If the satellite connection is there, it is great because it gives people the opportunity to have faster broadband. It gives people the opportunity to run their businesses much more successfully from wherever they may be. They can be many kilometres away from immediate cable network, and the satellite is a terrific option.

I was actually with the member for Mayo last Wednesday when he announced some towers on Kangaroo Island for phones, but he has also been over there and on the Fleurieu on the NBN issue. There are some issues on the Fleurieu with an NBN tower, where I believe the wrong information has gone out to people. I am keen for the tower that will cover Back Valley and Inman Valley to get underway as soon as possible.

As the member for Goyder said, when he pointed to the schoolchildren in the gallery, it is the way of the future for them. Where technology will be by the time they are our age, I would not know. I probably will not be around to see it. Technology changes so much. The member for Ashford might still be in the house at that stage. I am not sure. It is the way of the future. I am something of a Luddite and that is the way I am. It is an enormous investment in Australia's future and it is appropriate that the member for Lee's committee looked at this—

The Hon. S.W. Key: Little Para.

Mr PENGILLY: What did I say?

The Hon. S.W. Key: Lee. It's Little Para.

Mr PENGILLY: I beg your pardon, member for Little Para. It is a Freudian slip. You may want to be the member for Lee. It is a long-term investment. It is the way of the future and again, in my electorate, I pay tribute to the efforts of Jamie Briggs, federal member for Mayo, in pushing and promoting it and agitating hard to get it in.

There are people who are not happy. They want everything yesterday and they push and agitate for all these services, but people have to take their turn, I am afraid. It is going to get there slowly. I would suggest that there are many people in Australia who are a fair way away from having satellite broadband, regrettably, but that is just the way things are. It will get there. It is coming. I am really pleased that Malcolm Turnbull grabbed the initiative after the Labor government fell and picked this up and sorted it out. It has progressed. I do not have the figures on me, but I have seen them. It has progressed admirably over the last few years under the federal Coalition government and I thank them for that. Again, I thank Jamie Briggs for his great effort in my area.

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (11:34): I want to thank everyone for commenting on this report. I will not speak long. It has been a long time coming, as the member for Flinders said. It is a long time since the report was brought to this house. It was brought initially to the committee on the initiative of the member for Kaurna who made an admirable contribution to the debate in this place.

I can barely recall the others who have made contributions along the way, but they have been fine ones. The member for Flinders is always thoughtful, as is the member for Goyder. The member for Finniss made a brave and valiant defence of the member for Mayo in the face of all logic. I am not going to labour the point.

Mr Pederick: Just keep cracking jokes.

Mr ODENWALDER: Yes.

Members interjecting:

Mr ODENWALDER: I am not going to go over all the arguments. I am a little bemused by the defence of the federal Coalition government. As I said, the member for Flinders' contribution was very thoughtful, but I think—once the federal Labor Party regains the reins of power and influence in Canberra—we are going to finally see a broadband network that serves the needs of the present and the future, including regional Australia, so I commend the report.

Motion carried.