Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question and for her continuing interest and support for the government's policy on ensuring that all Australians have access to very fast broadband sooner, cheaper and more affordably.

The previous government committed more than $20 million to a telehealth trial, but there was a catch. The only people eligible for the trial were those who had access to the NBN's fibre network—in other words, hardly anyone at all. No-one, in fact, in the honourable member's seat of McPherson was eligible—not one. There was no access at all to telehealth under Labor in the seat of McPherson. The Minister for Health and I recognised that this was an obvious shortcoming, and so the Department of Health has announced that telehealth services under the trial can be delivered by a range of broadband access services. It is technology agnostic. So, whether it is fibre or cable or copper or wireless, the important thing is to ensure that people get the service.

There are some limitations to telehealth services. There are some conditions that are arguably incurable and inaccessible. Take Conrovianism. Conrovianism is a very pernicious problem. It has devastating symptoms.

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

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