David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts, I present the committee report entitled The next gen future: Inquiry into the deployment, adoption and application of 5G in Australia, together with the minutes of proceedings.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

by leave—This report is an excellent report, and I would like to commend all the members of inquiry. We traversed the nation, we had over 500 submissions and we had multiple bits of evidence introduced. This report, into the deployment, adoption and application of 5G in Australia, is really important. It establishes that 5G is coming and it's going to revolutionise so many parts of industry. It will make the internet of things become connected through the technology that delivers ultra-low latency and huge amounts of data. For the average person, mobile telecommunications via their mobile phones is ubiquitous, and there is a relentless requirement for more data. As a result of this, we need new, modern technology.

The fourth industrial revolution needs architecture to connect the internet of things, the machine-to-machine learning, robotics, virtual telecommunications, videoconferencing with ultra-low latency and accuracy, smart cities, smart telecommunications and smart cars that are driverless—all these things will be enabled. It will have huge applications in Defence, in universities, in smart campuses and in schools, all because of the ultra-low latency and the huge amounts of data that get delivered so much quicker. It's an evolution from 3G to 4G to 5G and, as a result, a lot of information has become available in the internet, which has cast aspersions on its safety. We have heard lots of information, from lots of reputable government and international bodies asserting that the technology is incredibly safe.

Due to technological qualities of 5G, beamforming and network slicing, and multiple input and multiple out technologies involved in 5G, the amount of energy that is received is actually lower than 4G, which is lower than 3G, and it is safe. There's ARPANSA, ACEBR and the international body ICNIRP—all these bodies evaluate things. There were concerns by some people in the community that have been influenced by misinformation about the technology. There is less energy in a 5G phone that people are exposed to. You get more exposure from a baby monitor or from a microwave. It is safe technology. I commend this report to the House. I move:

That the House take note of the report.

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