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. Is the minister aware that the fact sheet distributed today by her office claims that the WiMAX network being funded by the government will provide coverage of up to 50 kilometres, while the Optus media release states that the network will provide coverage of only 20 kilometres? How far will the coverage of the network extend—20 kilometres or 50 kilometres? How can the government claim that it is delivering broadband to 99 per cent of Australians if it does not even know the coverage of its own network? Doesn’t this kind of fundamental technological confusion demonstrate the risks associated with funding an untested, risky solution for rural and regional Australia?