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

My question is to Senator Coonan, the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. I refer the minister to the recent collapse of Telstra’s plans to build a fibre-to-the-node network and the government’s lack of an alternative plan. Is the minister aware of comments by a Telstra spokesman on Telstra’s official Now We Are Talking website pointing out that, while outer suburbs and the bush will be the losers from the government’s lack of leadership:

Senator Coonan won’t be missing out—you can be sure the leafy city suburbs that are home to the likes of her and Graeme Samuel will have an array of great fast landline broadband deals to choose from, as will anyone living within 1.5 kilometres from an exchange.

Does the minister agree with Telstra that those living outside ‘the leafy city suburbs’ will be losing out as a result of her lack of leadership?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator Conroy for giving me an opportunity to talk about the government’s $3 billion package to make sure that anyone outside metropolitan areas will have an opportunity to have the rollout of first-class telecommunications. The important thing about fibre to the node was that, whilst the government would have welcomed it—had Telstra made good its statements that it was interested not only in its shareholders but also in the broader Australian community in rolling out fibre to the node—it would only have been to the most populous areas of metropolitan centres and not to rural and regional areas. That of course is what mostly concerns the government with the rollout of its Broadband Connect package—ensuring that Australians, irrespective of where they live, will be able to access equitable services.

The interesting thing about fibre to the node is that, not only was it not going to be available to all Australians, as I think had been the expectation, but it was to be confined to just the populous areas of metropolitan centres. So the important thing is that, if Telstra were actually concerned about this, they could have, if they wished, proceeded with their investment. My understanding is that they had committed to doing that and had engaged in conversations with the ACCC for months—and in fact had admitted that they were, to all intents and purposes, satisfied with the talks that had taken place with the regulator that would have enabled competitors to have access to fibre to the node.

The interesting aspect of Senator Conroy’s question on fibre to the node is that his proposal—or, indeed, it might be Mr Tanner’s proposal, because we all know that Mr Tanner is really the one who is calling the shots on telecommunications on behalf of the Labor Party. It was interesting to see, just a few minutes ago, Senator Conroy faithfully reading out Mr Tanner’s argument on operational separation. Senator Conroy is totally incapable of devising his own policy in relation to telecommunications—

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

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Banking and Financial Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sherry interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Conroy and Senator Sherry!

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and, as the shadow shadow for communications, he certainly does not understand Telstra’s proposal for fibre to the node or indeed any other proposal.

This government will continue to stand up for consumers and, with an investment of over $3.1 billion, will ensure that broadband is pushed out and made available in regional Australia. We have the funds committed to future-proof this nation so that, as new communication technologies become available, they will also be made available to Australians. And, for those in outer metropolitan areas who cannot and would not have been able to access fibre to the node, of course we have the metropolitan broadband policy: $50 million to ensure that those who would otherwise not benefit from the proposed fibre-to-the-node footprint will be looked after by this government.

The important thing for consumers is that they know that this government are committed to looking after their interests. We have put our money where our mouth is; we have $3.1 billion to ensure that that happens. And—whilst I would still encourage Telstra not only to invest in fibre to the node but also perhaps to turn up their ADSL 2 Plus technology that is also available—if Telstra are to be taken seriously, they will do more for consumers. (Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister confirm that, 18 months after the Metropolitan Broadband Connect program was announced, there are no—not one—registered infrastructure providers under this program? Can the minister also confirm that Telstra is not participating in this program, as the minister tried to claim last week? What does the minister have to say to Australians living outside ‘the leafy city suburbs’ who have no prospect of receiving world-class broadband under the Howard government?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I would say to Senator Conroy is: he really needs to get out a bit more. Being stuck in the leafy suburbs of Melbourne, he would not have a clue what was available. I can say, on the program, that some 17 major broadband suppliers have either registered or expressed interest in registering. Two service providers are already fully registered, delivering Metropolitan Broadband Connect services via wireless technology. Four other providers are about to follow, and a further six companies are also applying for registration, while several others, including Telstra, have exchanged draft deeds of agreement with my department. Senator Conroy is so out of touch. He needs to get out a bit more, understand a bit more about his portfolio and take a few more briefings from Mr Tanner, and then he might have some idea of what he is talking about.