Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

In doing so, I note that the purpose of the report refers to the representation of the interests of consumers in relation to telecommunications issues and that, indeed, under the Telecommunications Act 1997, research should be undertaken ‘with respect to the social, economic, environmental or technological implications of developments relating to telecommunications’. I say here tonight in the Senate that we in Tasmania are being left behind when it comes to broadband services. We are being left behind by both the federal and state Labor governments because of their inaction. Their inaction is hurting small business in Tasmania. Their inaction is hurting consumers in Tasmania and, indeed, the general public.

The Tasmania ICT organisation—or TASICT—has said on the public record that Tasmania’s inadequate broadband services have resulted in an estimated loss to the state of some $6.4 million in revenue and 700 jobs. That is a lot of jobs especially in a state like Tasmania; we need them. Government inaction at the state and federal levels is causing job losses. Their inaction is dilatory and they need to do better. At the federal level, the federal government just cannot seem to get the National Broadband Network rollout right. So far we have seen the ‘Labor bungle’: they have bungled the tender process with Australia’s major telco, Telstra, withdrawing completely and now, as I noticed recently, Optus have criticised the government, in a submission to a Senate committee, for scrapping the Howard government’s proposed OPEL network. Optus is right to criticise the Labor government. The OPEL network would have delivered high-speed broadband to 99 per cent of the country by the end of this year. Sadly, Labor’s sham plan has no clear date for the launch of their network, and the earliest that it can actually be delivered is in or around 2012.

At the state Labor government level, we have seen the announcement by Premier David Bartlett, with much fanfare, that Tasmania would be connected. This announcement was made in November last year. Of course it is now autumn and it is 18 March and we have seen nothing further. He indicated that it would be commenced in or around February, March, April or May this year, but we have heard nothing. He has not committed to a commencement date other than to say that hopefully it will be in the first quarter of this year. Well, time is progressing. There is a lack of clarity and it is extremely frustrating for service providers and consumers alike.

Tasmanian taxpayers have been paying $2 million a year since 2004 for nothing—diddly squat. It has been for renting a cable which is dormant on the sea floor of Bass Strait. That is $2 million of Tasmanian taxpayers’ money going down the gurgler big time. So Premier Bartlett should make it clear exactly when this broadband connection will start and what the total cost to date to the taxpayers of Tasmania is as a result of government inaction.

Interestingly, Digital Tasmania, represented by Andrew Connor—and I congratulate him on his leadership in Tasmania for standing up for small business and for better services—gave evidence to a Senate committee and he commented on the recent report from the industry peak body, TASICT. He knows that it is costing dollars, he knows that it is costing jobs in Tasmania and he also knows that efficient, timely, reliable and cost-effective broadband will deliver good results for Tasmania across the board. What we do know is that expensive and unreliable broadband is detrimental. It is a little bit like grocery prices and petrol prices: if they are high, then they hurt the average Joe and the average mum and dad out there. Frankly, it is simply not good enough and Tasmania deserves a whole lot better. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted.