Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Reliable, affordable communications are not a luxury or something that should just be afforded to people living in major population centres. The response to COVID-19 has demonstrated, like nothing else, our reliance on effective telecommunications networks and infrastructure. People have effectively worked from home, and I expect many will continue to do so for some time. This will be part of a different way of life as we adjust to a post-COVID world. To ensure all Australians are able to do this, we must overcome the digital divide between the cities and the bush. There is no guarantee that this legislation will do that.

I have these concerns because regional NBN investment was reduced by $200 million in the 2020 NBN corporate plan over the period from 2018 to 2022, despite the government's broadband tax being proposed in the name of regional funding. NBN Co sought to conceal this regional funding reduction, with the company subsequently offering contradictory explanations about what had occurred and why it had occurred. There is seemingly no mechanism that requires the surplus revenue from the government's $800 million annual broadband tax to be spent on regional networks. In practice, there remain legitimate concerns that, once the tax revenues flow into NBN Co, the company management can effectively direct surplus tax revenue towards anything they wish once it is washed through an offset account, regardless of whether the expenditure relates to a regional outcome or not.

The government is introducing a broadband tax in the name of regional funding while at the same time cutting regional NBN investment—a new tax that will not fix the problem this government created. Remember that the Liberal Party voted against universal broadband access in Australia; they voted against broadband in the regions. The Liberals stood by and did nothing as NBN Co overloaded its fixed wireless towers in regional areas, leading to slow speeds and congestion. This poor decision is costing more in the long run, and it is costing consumers in the regions most of all. For example, people who live in Alice Springs' rural area, less than 10 kilometres from Smith Street Mall in the main area, have to rely on satellite services for their digital access. These are people who run businesses. These are people who study, people who are students. They cannot access the same level of service as other residents of Alice Springs. Ironically, a new subdivision in the same area of town gets fibre to the premises to all homes, yet people who live across the road don't. Go figure.

And the digital divide is widening in the bush. Wi-fi use is increasing in remote communities, often exceeding data allowances, but the lack of access to good, basic digital infrastructure in the bush continues to be a roadblock to development. Community led innovative and creative projects and ideas are being developed and utilised by First Nations organisations, media and creatives. Community based content creation projects are strengthening language and culture and providing training and work opportunities. Programs that provide digital mentors to improve skills and awareness, such as inDigiMOB, are having really positive outcomes. Improved internet can lead to better opportunities for enterprise development and access to more affordable products and services. Better telecommunications services out bush can lead to jobs and economic development. Employment opportunities could open up in so many sectors, with improved access. I've heard telehealth spoken about here in the Senate. Well, let me tell you, we desperately need better services and access to that—and medicine, education and training, essential services, infrastructure support and media—out in our regional and remote areas.

First Nations Media Australia has long advocated for the urgent need to upgrade telecommunications services and infrastructure. First Nations media organisations are an essential service, underlined by the vital role they have been playing in crafting and broadcasting relevant and appropriate messages and content to their audiences during the response to COVID-19. We have used First Nations media to assist us in more than 100 Aboriginal languages to get the COVID-19 health messages out there. This is job creation. This is essential communication. I have no doubt that our First Nations media organisations across the country have played a major role in keeping our communities healthy and safe. I would like to extend to them my thanks for their hard work which often is not remunerated, certainly during this very challenging time across our country. If you haven't seen or heard some of the outstanding work that First Nations media workers have recently been doing, jump online and take a look. There are health related messages in a wealth of languages. There are songs in language to urge mobs to wash their hands. We had about 18 songs in language put together very quickly about the washing of hands—animations and short skits. The range of creativity and innovation is amazing and, in this instance, absolutely life saving.

The regional and remote First Nations broadcasters and media producers are being hampered by the lack of affordable and appropriate broadband. First Nations broadcasters need access to adequate and reliable broadband. Without it, the sector will not be able to realise its full potential in the new media landscapes. Digital technologies provide the opportunity for regional and remote broadcasters and media producers to significantly enhance their operations, creating jobs and supporting economic opportunities in regions where both are often limited. Contemporary broadcasting studios and transmission equipment are internet compatible, but broadband speeds in those communities are frustratingly slow—preventing access to even basic online services, let alone allowing for the sharing of large media files.

The main strength of our First Nations media organisations is that they are connected and local. We need to ensure that they keep this connectivity. Labor is committed to a sustainable funding arrangement to support and improve NBN services in regional Australia. There is no substitute for a first-class fibre NBN with sound, long-term economics to support a sustainable funding mechanism. Policymakers need to achieve a connected and inclusive digital future for remote regions. This includes improving affordability, digital literacy and cybersafety, as well as overcoming the infrastructure deficit. What is evident is the need for better mobile coverage and internet access. Labor considers that NBN should be able to compete on a level playing field. NBN has a unique obligation to service parts of the country that are unprofitable to serve. If it competes on an uneven playing field, it makes that task harder. We just need to be clear about what that playing field is. The amount of cross-subsidy available is to some extent dependent on how much revenue NBN generates in the fixed line footprint. When you switch from fibre, which can guarantee minimum speeds, to copper, which can't, you make that task more challenging, particularly over the medium to long term.

It was disappointing that, prior to the 2013 election, the Liberals encouraged other companies to deploy networks and compete directly against the NBN with full knowledge that this would undercut the NBN business model. They set out to make it incredibly difficult for the NBN and now want to introduce a tax to protect themselves against what they instigated. Universal broadband in Australia is an achievement of the Labor Party and the will of the Australian people. As we have done for over a decade, we will continue to put consumers and the regions front and centre in our policymaking.