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

I accept your admonishment. I have been unduly provoked by Senator Nash’s interjections! Labor believes that this is not good enough and strongly opposes this bill—and so should other senators who believe that all Australians, no matter where they live, should have access to the best available telecommunication infrastructure. Australia does not need another set of patchwork broadband solutions. Australia needs to invest in a national broadband network that will ensure everyone, no matter where they live, has high-speed internet connections. That is why Labor will use the capital of the Communications Fund to help build a state-of-the-art national broadband network that promises to turn around Australia’s poor broadband performance.

Let me remind you that, after 11 years of the Howard government, the state of telecommunication infrastructure and services has suffered. Our ageing infrastructure continues to lag further and further behind countries we consider our international peers. Currently, Australia is ranked just 16th out of 30 countries regularly surveyed by the OECD. The Howard government may think this is good enough but, let me tell you, Australians do not. Over the past 11 years the Howard government has taken a haphazard, pork-barrelling approach to changing the state of broadband services. To date 18 different broadband plans have been proposed, at a cost in excess of $4 billion—rising to nearly $5 billion with the signing of the OPEL contract. How proud the senators on the other side of the chamber must be! Nearly $5 billion, and what will you have to show for it? A clapped-out, obsolete wireless network. Congratulations; you must be proud! Not one of these plans has managed to address the poor quality of telecommunication infrastructure to ensure our broadband performance is turned around—not one of these plans! Australians deserve better. Australians need a government who puts the national interest first rather than one whose sole aim is to get through an election year.

Contrary to the Howard government, Labor recognises that it is imperative that we invest in telecommunication services to enable the full potential of the information superhighway to be reached. Labor understands the benefits of high-speed broadband infrastructure and the impact it will have on Australia’s future. The increased connectivity from vastly improved telco services will ensure future prosperity for all Australians. True broadband services will allow small and medium businesses to compete in both national and international arenas, increasing productivity gains and opportunities. New markets will be created, resulting in more jobs for Australians. A study by the New South Wales government has shown that true broadband would boost the state economy by up to $1.4 billion. A similar study in Queensland has shown productivity returns of up to $4 billion. The Victorian state government anticipates that broadband will boost the state economy by $15 billion over the next decade. But none of these calculations was based on a clapped-out, obsolete old fixed wireless network.

The potential for broadband is enormous. New services will change the way we lead our lives. E-health will revolutionise the health care sector, enhance patient services and ultimately save lives. E-education promises to enhance learning opportunities for primary, secondary and tertiary students and beyond. These services will benefit all Australians, particularly those in rural, regional and remote Australia. Broadband promises to overcome the tyranny of distance, which up until now has inhibited the potential of many Australians, socially and economically. However, Labor recognises that the full potential of the enhanced services offered by broadband will only be achieved by investing in state-of-the-art communications infrastructure. And let me make it very clear: the best technology, which under Labor’s broadband plan will be available to at least 98 per cent of Australians, is a fibre-to-the-node network.