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

I thank Senator Kirk for the question. She is wrong on just about all fronts. Australia has over 3.9 million broadband subscribers. ABS figures from September 2006 show that a third of all Australian homes have broadband. Australia is above the OECD average when it comes to broadband take-up: Australia is ranked 17th, Germany is 18th, France is 16th, the UK is 10th and the United States is 12th. But Australia’s take-up of broadband has grown at a faster rate than any other OECD country, except Denmark, in the 12 months to June 2006. These are not my figures, Senator Kirk; they are figures that are verified by the ABS. You can assert from the rooftops that Australia lags behind, and you would be wrong. For its size, scope and relatively small population, Australia performs very well.

You have referred to some criticisms by some people about the need for fast broadband and for the government, I suppose, from Labor’s perspective, to give in to Telstra’s demands to abolish the entire telecommunications regime in Australia. I think we should be wary when it comes to those who prosecute the antiregulation case and criticise Australia when they have a clear and unambiguous commercial reason for doing so—which is, of course, what some people in the media are doing. It is very important to understand that, as is often the case, media proprietors and content providers have a commercial interest in ensuring that their online media services are utilised to the fullest and that it is provided on infrastructure that they do not have to pay for, Senator Kirk. It is important that you understand that. The more broadband speeds are available, the more downloading capacity there is for consumers to use an online content provider’s products.

Senator Kirk, what I think you and Labor should be concentrating on is what has to be the most irresponsible announcement—and I assume that Senator Kirk would not have been part of this; but Senator Kirk will have a vote in caucus, no doubt, and Senator Kirk should be voting against it—a proposal that is setting out to raid the Future Fund and to do a huge backflip on Labor’s proposal to oppose, every step along the way, the privatisation of Telstra, which has held this country back and has held telecommunications back for 10 years. Labor’s proposal now is to raid the Future Fund to spend and spend. It is the most shameful economic vandalism, and it is there simply to buy votes. Not only will Labor raid the Future Fund and jeopardise the future of Australians—