Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I do not know how I can gently let Senator Stephens into the secret, but the local presence plan is under development. It has not even been completed yet. So Senator Stephens is going to have to wait and see before she is able to make those kinds of comments. What is important is that this government has put in place a package worth in excess of $3 billion to make absolutely certain that the people in rural and regional Australia will not be left behind by the sorts of plans that the Labor Party would have for telecommunications.

This government will continue to make sure that people in rural and regional Australia are served with good telecommunications. This means not only payphones but also the customer service guarantee to fix the fixed line services and the local presence plan, which will assist those customers on the ground out there in rural and regional Australia to have access to the services that they need—and in a timely fashion—and ensure that equitable services are available throughout the country. (Time expired)