Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make some comments about the third report of the Senate Select Committee on the National Broadband Network. Firstly, I think the work of the committee and the secretariat in producing what is a very comprehensive report into the NBN, as we see it at this stage, has been very good indeed. I just say at the outset that many will know that I have a long held view that a wholesale access infrastructure network would certainly be a positive step forward for the future of telecommunications in this country. My good colleague Senator Joyce and I co-authored an inquiry into regional telecommunications for the Page Research Centre before we even came into this place as senators and certainly from that point on we have had some very clear views about how telecommunications should operate, particularly in terms of delivering for the regions.

While I say that it is a very comprehensive report, there is obviously a lot of detail yet to come about the National Broadband Network and the rollout. One thing I would say is that with any NBN the rollout has to start in the regions. It has to be a roll-in arrangement, not a rollout from the cities. Certainly from the Nationals’ perspective, with any NBN, the regions are the areas where this has to start.

The report makes some comment particularly around the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Competition and Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2009. I will just make a couple of brief comments on that. There is some school of thought that believes this legislation exists only as a pathway to an NBN world. My view is different to that. I believe this legislation stands alone. While it does potentially provide a pathway to an NBN world, it certainly stands alone in dealing with the concerns and issues around the current regulatory environment as it relates to telecommunications. Certainly on that basis it needs to be considered as a separate entity, if you like, not as part of the whole NBN process that we may or may not get to next year.

The Nationals certainly believed, some time ago now, that Telstra should have been structurally separated. It is a view that I certainly still hold, and I understand my colleague in front of me here, Senator Joyce, also holds that view. We do not know when we are going to get to this legislation. We are very open minded about that legislation, particularly, from our perspective, on how that legislation is going to affect the regions.

There are also a number of comments around that legislation in the report in relation to separation not being a success in the UK. In actuality Ofcom has indeed stated that it has been a success. But I think the issue is that the current regulatory environment is not operating to provide a level playing field in terms of wholesale access for competitors in that marketplace. This certainly needs to be rectified. I have been on record many times saying that I do not believe the current regulatory environment is operating optimally, for want of a better word, and that we do need to ensure that those other carriers have a level playing field when it comes to access. If we are going to have a truly competitive environment where we have got a market that can indeed do that, then the structure needs to be in place for the regulatory environment for that competition to be able to ensue. I would also say that when we look at those areas where there is market failure, where there is a distinct problem in the regions, there is a role for government to ensure that there is equity of access and services for those people living in the regions.

I know others of my colleagues wish to speak, so I shall not speak any longer on that. I think it is vitally important that we do get the regulatory environment right for telecommunications. We do need to get it right because the future obviously is going to be a telecommunications world. We need to ensure that there is a level playing field not only for wholesale access but in terms of carriers being able to get out into the market and provide those services. We need to ensure that regional Australia is supported through the role of government and that those regions do get the telecommunications services that they need.