MATTERS OF INTEREST

BROADBAND ACCESS

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:25): I rise today to offer some remarks on a matter recently raised by the Hon. David Winderlich. I remind the council that Mr Winderlich is the last remaining Democrat in any parliament in Australia, and we now know why. I refer to the Rudd government's commitment to the delivery of high speed broadband to Australia—to urban centres, and to regional and remote communities. Mr Winderlich has asserted that the Rudd government 'has failed to support regional communities when they need it most'. Before commenting on the ludicrous suggestion, let me reflect briefly on the record of the federal counterparts of those opposite with regard to 21st century telecommunication technologies.

The Howard government had 12 years (12 long and, indeed, interminable years) to improve broadband provisions and access in Australia. Despite 18 separate 'plans', they achieved next to nothing. I remind those opposite that on day one in his present position on the front bench the federal shadow treasurer noted that improving broadband would be 'a starting point'—a starting point, obviously, that he and his colleagues spectacularly failed to achieve. Now that Labor has proposed a plan, those opposite would rather play politics with it, would rather focus on cheap point-scoring, would rather block jobs, and would rather not grasp the nettle and recognise that it is the Rudd Labor government that is providing what our economy and our community so clearly need.

Labor's national broadband network is where Australia's future lies. This is nation building. This is acting in the national interest. This is investment in our future. Indeed, the world is talking about Labor's broadband scheme. An article in The Australian of 19 May 2009 described the annual Future in Review conference held that month in San Diego as a gathering of 'the biggest and brightest in technology and the internet', and quoted The Economist as describing the conference as 'the best technology gathering on the planet'. Whole panels at the conference were devoted entirely to Labor's plan. One of the founders of the internet, Professor Larry Smarr, is quoted in the article as follows:

The vision, the boldness, the international leadership it puts Australia in...now everywhere I go people are saying Australia is number one, they are the leader now.

The Hon. C.V. Schaefer interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: You don't like hearing this, I know that. That is what makes it so good. It is in the light of these comments that I now turn to Mr Winderlich's remarks. I am very proud to confirm that the new, super fast network will connect homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, farms, police and other emergency and security services, and an enormous range of other users, with optical fibre providing speeds of 100 megabits per second. This is 100 times faster than services currently available to most users. Contrary to Mr Winderlich's assertions, Labor has not failed to support regional communities. The new network will also employ wireless and/or satellite technologies to deliver 12 megabits per second—or more—to people living in remote areas.

Wireless technology is presently more than capable of providing broadband services, but lower speeds have resulted thus far on occasions when many users in the same area are accessing the service. Next-generation wireless technology will be entirely capable of delivering those 12 megabits per second to individual end users. Meanwhile, satellite broadband services, already available to remote and black spot areas incapable of receiving terrestrial broadband services, have had the capacity to deliver, thus far, up to 4 megabits per second to residential users on a shared basis. Again, the next-generation satellite technology with which the government will engage will be able to deliver those 12 megabits per second to individual end users. An implementation study is to be carried out to determine the best way to serve remote communities on a continent where the tyranny of distance has for so long set the terms of our communications abilities.

The Rudd government does not pay lip service to the crucial importance of telecommunications services to those Australians in rural, regional and remote areas. Rather than studiously ignoring those communities or, alternatively, rolling out the pork barrel now and again—the now notorious strategy used by the previous federal government—Labor has acted decisively. Labor will deliver access to world-leading fast broadband to every person and every business in Australia, no matter where they live. The Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee has carried out exhaustive consultations across Australia, and the government has already met a number of the review's recommendations with an initial $61.1 million response.

Time expired.