Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I have two quick questions, since the minister chided me last time for using my whole five minutes to ask questions. I refer to the minister’s comments in relation to the broadband program and the government’s decision to cancel the $900 million OPEL contract, which would have been delivering broadband services to regional Australians before the end of this year. When can country people expect to first receive some benefits from Labor’s plan? What is the current cost estimate of delivering this plan? I note that the government has decided to withdraw the legislation to raid $2 billion from the Communications Fund which was to go to Building Australia. Does this mean now that Building Australia is only going to be an $18 billion fund and not a $20 billion fund? How much of the Building Australia Fund will be used to fund the government’s proposed broadband program?

My final question relates to the minister’s comments regarding the digital TV conversion and I ask him in particular to make a comment about what the government proposes to do to convert all of the black spot transmitters in Australia, which were funded largely by the previous government, to digital transmission? There are scores of these transmitters, Minister, and some of them are in the cities, in case you think this is only a question about country areas. Will you be providing funding to convert those transmitters to digital transmission?

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