Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. I ask the minister: is it true that more than 12 months ago Labor cancelled the coalition’s national rural and regional broadband project, OPEL? Is it also true that Labor had no immediate practical alternative to this broadband proposal? Is it also true, Minister, that this network could have delivered new and affordable high-speed broadband services to more than 460,000 underserviced households and businesses across my state of Queensland in 2009? I ask the minister: how many more years will Queenslanders have to wait before Labor delivers new broadband services to them?

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

I thank you for that question, Senator Macdonald. Senator Macdonald appears to be calling for the restoration of OPEL. The claim from those opposite seems to be that it would have delivered high-speed broadband to Queenslanders. By calling for OPEL to be reinstated, Senator Macdonald is stating that he would spend taxpayers’ money on a project even though the terms of the contract were not met. Furthermore, Senator Macdonald is repeatedly misleading the Australian public. His statement is categorically untrue and demonstrates that those opposite are grossly irresponsible.

The Rudd government committed to honouring the OPEL funding agreement according to its terms. The conditions precedent written in by Senator Helen Coonan, my predecessor, required OPEL to provide coverage reasonably equivalent to 90 per cent of the 527,747 underserved premises identified by the then Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. In other words, OPEL was required to cover approximately five per cent of Australian premises identified as underserved. As I have said before, OPEL’s coverage would have been far less than the figure claimed by people such as Senator Minchin, who talks about 99 per cent. In any event, the assessments showed that OPEL failed to demonstrate that it was able to meet its required coverage. It failed to meet the contractual terms set out by Senator Helen Coonan. So let us be clear: the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy— (Time expired)

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can I further ask the minister: is it true that as a result of Labor cancelling the OPEL project, my state of Queensland has missed out on gaining 340 new wireless broadband base stations, the upgrade of some 80 telephone exchanges and the rollout of thousands of kilometres of new fibre optic backhaul this year? What is Labor’s time frame for delivering new services for Queenslanders?

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

Senator Macdonald has shown throughout his public career that he is utterly without shame. Once again, he is demonstrating that today by continually—

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. That is reflecting on the integrity of the senator. I suggest that you invite the minister to withdraw that remark.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. Senator Conroy, you have 46 seconds left to answer the question.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I do not seek to delay question time any further, but I would invite you to reconsider your ruling. To assert that somebody’s total public life has been run in the manner described is nothing other than a complete reflection on that senator and surely must be withdrawn if we are going to maintain standards in this place.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Abetz, I have ruled on the point of order, on what I heard take place in the chamber. I am prepared to go and look at the Hansard and come back, if necessary, to the chamber. But I ruled that there was no point of order, based on what I had heard.

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

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy performed an analysis of the detailed testing and mapping undertaken by OPEL. It determined that the OPEL network would cover only 72 per cent of identified underserved premises within its agreed coverage area.

Those opposite have no broadband policy. Instead, they have the legacy of 18 failed policies in 11½ wasted years. They are too lazy to engage in any policy development. They hanker after a policy. They have failed their own criteria. They have failed miserably. To continue to mislead the Australian public does them no credit. (Time expired)

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Despite the minister’s repeated pledges to deliver fibre-to-the-node services to 98 per cent of premises across the nation, and I assume that also includes 98 per cent of Queensland, does he now accept that this is simply not viable and that wireless technologies must play a key part in the delivery of new broadband services across rural and regional Australia, particularly across rural and regional Queensland?

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

I guess maths is not his strong point either. Let me be clear: we have put forward a policy proposal which we are in the last few weeks of determining, so I am not going to speculate on the outcome. I will say that we are committed to delivering our election promise. Our election promise includes 100 per cent of Australians getting improved broadband by the latest wireless and the latest satellite technologies.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy, resume your seat. I will ask you to resume your answer when there is quiet in the chamber.

Mary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Show us your nodes.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When there is quiet, we will resume question time. Senator Conroy, you have 23 seconds left.

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

I will keep my nodes to myself, Mr President. Let me be clear: Labor’s plan to deliver faster broadband to 100 per cent of Australians includes the latest satellite technologies and the latest wireless technologies. They are for the two per cent outside the reach of the fibre-to-the-node technology. Let me reiterate: we will deliver. After 11½ years— (Time expired)