Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, the SKA is another reminder of the transformational power of ICT. It is the enabling technology of the modern world and lies at the core of our case to the global backers of this project. That is why the NBN was very much at the heart of the project that we are developing. This is a project which will produce opportunities for Australians and for New Zealanders and for the global community as a direct result of the investments in the NBN. We have already seen the Perth-Geraldton fibre-optic link, which is the first building block of the National Broadband Network in Western Australia. This link is not just critical for the SKA; it offers faster and cheaper broadband for 35,000 people along the route. It also lays a very proud claim to being one of the most sophisticated research tools in the world. This month I launch the first of three new supercomputers. (Time expired)