Peter McGauran (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

This is an enormously important matters of public importance debate. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the government’s policies and any alternatives that the opposition might proffer as to broadband services throughout Australia. The common ground for all members of this parliament is that there is a need for equitable access to broadband infrastructure across Australia and that it is critical to Australia’s economic, social and cultural prosperity. But there the commonality of interests ends, because it is the allegation, or charge, of the opposition that—if I may paraphrase it for them—firstly, the government has neglected the rollout of broadband and, secondly, the opposition’s proposal would overcome that problem and correct that failing. On both contentions the government fiercely disagrees.

I am glad the opposition is coming to the issue of broadband. The simple fact is the government has been onto it for many years, so much so that we have already spent close to a billion dollars on Broadband Connect and extensions and rollouts. The government is making a targeted investment where it is most needed, through the $1.1 billion Connect Australia package. As part of the Connect Australia package, the government will shortly announce the winning bidders for up-front funding of $600 million to build new large-scale broadband infrastructure in regional areas. So our policies and our funding are continuing on, and while it would be mean spirited of me to suggest that opposition members are Johnny-come-latelys, others who are more objective and distant from the debate may well characterise them as that. Nonetheless, I welcome their conversion to the importance of broadband and welcome the fact that they have finally brought the matter, after the coalition’s some 11 years in government, into the parliamentary debating chamber.

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