Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to support this bill. The purpose of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Deregulation and Other Measures) Bill 2017 is to amend administrative requirements imposed on broadcasters and datacasting licensees and to remove tariff-filing requirements for certain carriers and carriage service providers. It will allow for the communications industry to develop an industry scheme to manage telephone numbering. It will amend the Telecommunications Act 1997 to repeal the power of NBN Co to issue a statement that it is not installing fibre in a new real estate development, and remove the obligation for the company to maintain a register of the statements. It will amend the National Broadband Network Companies Act 2011, the NBN Companies Act, to allow NBN companies to dispose of surplus goods. It will abolish the requirement for ACMA to consult with an advisory committee before declaring a submarine cable protection zone. The bill also repeals redundant legislation and spent acts, and corrects an error in the Telecommunications Act which relates to the inadmissibility of evidence in certain proceedings. For legislation around one of the fastest growing industries, it's good to finally see it here in the House again, getting some airtime.

In 2016, Australians watched 18.7 billion hours of TV and nearly 20 billion hours on the internet. As our dependence on utilities like the NBN grows, so must government efforts to ensure quality of service and that no-one is left behind. Let's be honest: people being left behind is what's happening in Tasmania. With our NBN rollout almost complete in Tasmania, we already see huge differences on the ground in how the rollout has taken place. Hobart and Launceston have the Labor fibre to the premises, so businesses and households there can access and are accessing the fastest speeds and connectivity. Launceston, in the north of the state, is the first one-gigabit-per-second city in the country, and it is taking advantage of the opportunities that come its way. But out in the regions, which is much of my electorate, it's not such a pretty picture.

In Lachlan, a town with a population of just over 800, the NBN is a complete sham. At peak hour, once the kids come home from school and get on the net, it grinds to a stop for town residents—and, even after a petition has been pulled together begging for action from NBN Co, it remains that way. Sometimes, at peak hour, they can't even get two megabits per second in that town. It's so slow, so bad, they can't even do a speed test. Imagine that: a supposed broadband system that is so slow you can't even do a speed test. How on earth are you meant to do school work, business, research or anything else when you can't even do a speed test? I should note that Lachlan is just 45 minutes north of Hobart, so it's hardly a remote area. On that note, I'll wrap up. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate interrupted.

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