Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This continued attack on the NBN is just a diversionary farce to get away from the fact that the opposition have no policies, no vision and, if they are not careful, no future.

The opposition has had 20 broadband policies, none of which they managed to successfully implement. They oppose the NBN not for any public cost-benefit reason but simply because they are too petty to see the government succeed where they have continually failed. The government is not being secretive; it is being prudent.

We are not reckless like Mr Turnbull, who when he was environment minister paid $10 million on unproven technology to electrocharge the atmosphere to milk unseen moisture from the skies. In contrast to the reckless Mr Turnbull, the government’s actions are showing this project—Australia’s most significant infrastructure investment since the Snowy Mountains scheme—the respect that such a significant investment deserves.

We are not going to rush into it. We are not going to be bullied by those on the other side coming out with their bizarre comments just to delay things. The NBN will deliver significant benefits for all Australians, and particularly for those in my home state of Tasmania. Tony Abbott may think that the internet is only good for Facebook and email, but those in rural and remote Australia have the vision to see the profound effect that the NBN will have on meeting their future health and educational needs as well as the profound economic benefits which will result.

I will take a few moments to provide just a few examples of projects in Tasmania that rely on fast broadband and which would benefit from the NBN. Recently, the CSIRO launched its TasICT centre. The TasICT aims to promote employment growth and wealth creation throughout the Tasmanian economy by accelerating growth of its ICT industries. And who was there at that launch? Senator Barnett was at that launch, celebrating the obviously welcome local investment delivered to Tasmania by the CSIRO. Would it not be ironic if Senator Barnett did not welcome it, because one of the factors that led to the CSIRO’s decision to establish the centre in Tasmania was—guess what?—the fact that Tasmania was the first recipient of the NBN rollout. That is a $30 million investment that Tasmania was not likely to have seen without the National Broadband Network.

The Tasmanian government has recently developed an innovative new school to provide flexible learning opportunities for Tasmanians. The Tasmanian eSchool brings together Distance Education Tasmania, the Centre for Extended Learning Opportunities - Online and the Online Campus into a single school from 2011. Assisted with a $4.9 million grant from the Australian government, the Tasmanian eSchool will provide services through cutting edge technology.

Of course, if we provide a connection speed of 100 megabits per second through optic fibre this would allow for a primary or secondary student to log on at home and participate in a virtual classroom. At the moment virtual classrooms are a reality but they are not supported by high-definition video in Tasmania. We need that video to deliver better pedagogical outcomes to distance education students so that they can interact with the teacher through reading and conveying body language and so that the teacher can demonstrate visual concepts with their hands. Such students will also be able to interact with other students and collaborate on projects.

There are a number of reasons why students may need to study at home. They may be very remote and have difficulty with transport or have a disability making it difficult to leave their house. Their parents may be full-time carers and unable to drop them to and from school. While there are many primary and high schools throughout Tasmania, the University of Tasmania has only three campuses. Distance education is provided by UTAS, but it is limited in scope and cannot deliver the quality of face-to-face lectures or tutorials. A family from Dover, St Helens or Strahan wanting to send their child to university has only two options: either they move house or they pay to accommodate their child on campus in a residential college. Alternatively, the child may need to work part-time to pay their rent in a residential college or share house which, of course, can be very disruptive to their studies. Imagine how much that family or student could save if they could have their lecture or tutorial delivered straight into their home?

The benefits to health are just mind-boggling. Many elderly patients in need of specialist treatment find it incredibly disruptive to have to travel long distances to receive that treatment. Imagine if a patient requiring a visual examination by an ophthalmologist could stay at home rather than having to visit the hospital. A high-definition video link could mean the examination could take place without the patient having to leave their home. If their webcam is not up to scratch, the hospital could lend them one—and soon televisions will also be video conference units. Other more basic consultations, including GP consultations, could be provided via this method. For certain consultations, this could alleviate some of the difficulties that remote communities face when trying to secure a GP. With the NBN, patients who have to travel interstate for highly specialised surgery may have the option of receiving the surgery at their local hospital. A high-speed data link could allow the surgeon to deliver the instructions to a less specialised but still qualified surgeon, or instruments could be developed that respond to a surgeon’s instructions remotely.