Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. Can the minister provide an update to the Senate on the progress of the Regional Backbone Blackspots Program in the Mount Isa region and on how this will benefit local residents?

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

I thank Senator Furner for his question. The Gillard government remains committed to rural and regional Australia, as we continue to deliver the $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program. This program is investing significant amounts in improving telecommunication infrastructure for those in regional and rural Australia, who have for so long experienced second-rate telecommunications infrastructure. The RBBP continues to see some 6,000 kilometres of fibre backbone rolled out across regional Australia. We have already laid 5,600 kilometres, or nearly 95 per cent. This will connect 100 regional locations and positively impact 400,000 people across six states and territories.

Back in February 2010, the RBBP was officially launched in Mount Isa. I am pleased to update the chamber with news that the fibre-optic backbone link between Darwin and Toowoomba, a 3,800-kilometre stretch that passes right through Mount Isa, is within months of completion, having already had 3,685 kilometres of fibre-optic cable deployed on this link alone. For regional communities such as Mount Isa, connection to the RBBP means rapid improvements in retail broadband services and better value broadband plans for customers. Instead of the Nationals supporting the drive to provide equivalence of services, they have turned— (Time expired)

Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister please inform the Senate of any recent statements of support to increase telecommunication infrastructure for Mount Isa?

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

I am delighted to inform the Senate today that, two weeks ago, the North West Star in Mount Isa ran a report calling for rural and remote communities to have the same access to medical and telecommunications services as their city and coastal counterparts. This push was made by none other than the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Abbott, who said:

… Mount Isa should have access to fibre optic cable as soon as possible …

"It would significantly improve broadband and mobile phone coverage in the region," he said.

"It's the sort of thing we could get cracking on straight away."

I am happy to advise that, under the Gillard government's NBN rollout, Mount Isa, with a population of more than 22,000 people, will receive fibre to the premises under our world-class NBN, whilst under the coalition's own policies even large regional centres like Mount Isa would miss out on fibre altogether. (Time expired)

Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the Minister further advise the Senate on additional plans for the National Broadband Network rollout in Mount Isa?

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

It is clear that Mr Abbott is well aware of the Australian public's support for our world-class NBN. His own backbenchers have told them so, and they continue to write to me demanding that their communities get connected sooner. So, whilst Mr Abbott is now saying one thing to the residents of Mount Isa about the virtues of a fibre rollout, Mr Turnbull was deriding the NBN as science fiction at the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network conference in Sydney recently. My fear for the people of Mount Isa and other regional communities around Australia is that Mr Abbott is simply telling them what they want to hear—that he supports the NBN—when really he wants to demolish it and treat them as second-class citizens. He wants to give vouchers—vouchers is what your side is up to. What a disgrace! (Time expired)

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.