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

I will be kind to Senator Minchin; I do not think so. The opposition continues to suggest that it is unclear what the government’s plans are to do with the Communications Fund. Senator Birmingham and I had a lengthy discussion in Senate estimates about this. Nothing could be further from the truth. On budget night, the Treasurer announced that the Communications Fund balance would be transferred to the Building Australia Fund. This is fully spelt out in black and white on page 184 of Budget Paper No. 2. The Building Australia Fund has been established by the Rudd government as a financing source for future investment in critical economic infrastructure, including broadband. It is for this reason that the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Communications Fund) Bill 2008 is no longer required and has been withdrawn.

The opposition has claimed that the telecommunications needs of rural, regional and remote Australia might not be met. I can, however, reassure the Senate that they will be. The Building Australia Fund will be used to provide the government’s contribution of up to $4.7 billion for the national broadband network, which is expected to cover 98 per cent of Australian homes and businesses, including the vast majority of people in rural and regional Australia.