Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's no more entrepreneurial region in Australia than the Sunshine Coast, and so it should come as no surprise to learn that the Sunshine Coast will soon have Australia's fastest data link to Asia and second-fastest data link to the United States due to an international optic cable coming ashore by 2020, connecting here to Guam, Japan and the world. It will be the only optic cable outside of Sydney coming into Australia's east coast. The Sunshine Coast economy is already going gangbusters, but this is a visionary project that promises to redefine the region's future.

Last week that vision came a little bit closer with the deal being signed between RTI Connectivity and the local council for this optic cable. The federal government has already been doing its bit. Indeed, I was proud to put the project on the radar of the former Prime Minister and our communications minister to carve out funding for a feasibility study and to help engage the private sector, including pitching to RTI. Now that the deal has been signed, the job continues. My next tasks are to help RTI secure an installation permit and, if they want, to also help them try and go for a submarine protection zone. An army of people have gotten us this far, and I wish to pay tribute to each and every one of them.