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

I thank the senator for her question. I am indeed aware of some research in this area. In 2005 a report entitled Future-Proofing Telecommunications in Non-metropolitan Australia was published by an organisation called the Page Research Centre. The authors of the report made a number of interesting observations including: 'the copper network is fast becoming redundant'. That is right—redundant.

The authors of the report clearly need to speak to the opposition spokesperson. They must be shocked that he wants to buy back the copper when those in the Nationals' corner have told him it is becoming redundant. That is not all, the report goes on to say:

The government contracts a supplier to lay fibre optic cable to a majority of consumers in non-metropolitan Australia …

Clearly the authors understand that fibre is the technology for the future. (Time expired)