Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on the government’s progress in increasing productivity by building a stronger Australian economy through the delivery of a superfast broadband network?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Braddon for his question, because each time I have been to his part of Tasmania local small businesses and local government have asked me, ‘When is the National Broadband Network going to be connected?’ We already have that connection work underway. In fact, in the honourable member’s electorate we will be connecting up the first homes to the network in July of this year.

Yesterday was a good news day for the future of the Australian economy, because what we need for the future is the infrastructure of the future. The government has committed to building a stronger economy and also to delivering for families across the nation. A national broadband network is a key part of the infrastructure of the future. In the 19th century we had the state governments of Australia then laying out the infrastructure of that century and the one that followed—laying out the railway system and laying out the telegraph system. For the needs of the 21st century we need the infrastructure of the 21st century, and that is a national broadband network. That is why we are delighted with the agreement reached yesterday between the National Broadband Network and Telstra. This is a good agreement.

In 2007, Australia had the third most expensive internet services in the world. Also, in 2007, our broadband was 35 times slower than that of the fastest nation. So we were the third most expensive and we had a system 35 times slower than that of the fastest nation in the OECD. That is why in March 2007, we, then in opposition, committed to building a national broadband network. Since then, we have had sustained negotiations with Telstra. As a consequence of those negotiations, we have reached an important agreement with them on the future of the network. This agreement paves the way for faster, cheaper broadband services right across the nation. It paves the way for a more efficient rollout of the National Broadband Network across the nation. It paves the way for families having access to broadband across the nation, for small businesses having access to broadband across the nation and for schools and hospitals having access to broadband across the nation.

The government is committed to delivering optical fibre with speeds of 100 megabits per second. That is around 50 times faster than is received today. Furthermore, with a mix of next-generation wireless and satellite technologies, we will be delivering broadband to all Australian families. That is because we make no distinction between Australians who live in the bush, who live in the regions and who live in the big cities. We want to make sure that they are all wired to the economy of the 21st century.

In practical terms, what will this mean for families and businesses out there? It will mean that we will have slashed telephone bills for small business. I would think that would be good for small business. We are going to have enhanced business services such as teleconferencing. We are going to have videoconferencing. We are going to have virtual private networks. So the need for small businesses in one part of the country to fly or drive to another part of the country just to do a deal gets removed as a result of this brand new technology. It helps businesses right across regional Australia to sell their products or their services to the markets of the world, to sell to them online. It enhances the capacities of our hospitals to deliver e-health in regional and rural Australia. It produces e-education as well, and high-definition, multichannel and interactive TV services. It will also help farmers to electronically track their livestock, monitor their crops and have instant access to market and weather conditions.

Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They can do it on their mobile phones.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I notice that the voice for the future over there interjects—the member for O’Connor. Wilson, this is welcome even in your electorate. They want it in your electorate, because it helps them in their businesses, it helps them in their primary industries and it helps the schools in your electorate, as it does in the electorate of every other member represented here. There is just one difference: you are not prepared to admit it.

For students across Australia, it will open up new opportunities: 3-D interactive learning experiences and specialist training. When mixed with the computers in schools program brought about by the Minister for Education, it will ensure that our students have full access to this technology for the 21st century. Then we come to the question of jobs. This project alone is capable of generating 25,000 jobs across the country, including in areas such as north-west Tasmania, where jobs have been lost as a result of closures in other industries.

The Australian government is proud of this achievement. It is proud of the agreement which the minister has reached with Telstra. This is a good agreement for Telstra, a good agreement for the National Broadband Network, a good agreement for the nation, a good agreement for small business and a good agreement for families who need access to the technology and the infrastructure of the 21st century. That is the practical stuff we are engaged in in building a stronger economy for the future and making sure that all Australian families have a share of that future as well.