Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. I refer the minister to the collapse of Telstra’s plans to roll out a fibre to the node network. Does the minister accept that Australia needs a significant fibre broadband infrastructure investment to bring the country back into line with our international competitors? Isn’t it true that the reason for the collapse of these talks was, in the words of Telstra executive Phil Burgess, the government’s confused, inconsistent and ultimately counterproductive telecommunications policies? As the minister for communications, will the minister finally accept responsibility for Australia’s status as a broadband backwater and for the government’s complete lack of policy for turning this situation around?