Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

The Telecommunications Amendment (Infrastructure in New Developments) Bill 2020 will improve access to telecommunications in new developments. Access to telecommunications underpins modern economic and social life. When people move into new houses or business premises, they expect that the developers will have arranged access to telecommunications.

Since 2011, the Telecommunications Act has required developers that are constitutional corporations to install what are called 'fibre-ready facilities' in proximity to new developments. These are essentially pits and pipes that house telecommunications cabling. Most developers do the right thing and install the pits and pipes. However, there has been a small but persistent failure by some unincorporated developers to install the facilities. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications estimates that up to 3,000 premises each year are being sold or leased without pit and pipe. The impact on people moving into these new houses or business premises can be significant, in terms of restricted access to telecommunications, reduced social and economic participation, retrofitting costs and sheer inconvenience. This bill extends the arrangements that currently apply to incorporated developers to unincorporated developers. It will mean that people who occupy new premises can have greater confidence that appropriate pit-and-pipe facilities have been installed, in turn giving them ready access to telecommunications regardless of whether the developer is incorporated or unincorporated. I thank members for their consideration of this bill.

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