Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for McEwen for his question because he has been a tireless advocate for the importance of broadband to his regional constituency. For regional Australia this is a compelling case. Failure to address access to fast-speed broadband will see regions held back. The Local Government Association conducted a very extensive survey about this some four or five years ago and found that those regions that had broadband access were the ones that grew faster and created jobs. In fact it concluded that the failure to provide fast-speed broadband was costing the regions close to $3 billion in lost product and up to 30,000 jobs. That is why we on this side of the House are committed to ending the digital divide. We know that the capital cities have more access to it than the regions. We want the regions to grow, but they are not going to be able to do it unless they have access to the infrastructure that enables them to do it. That is why we are embarking on the National Broadband Network rollout, a rollout that will increase the capacity of the network but also deliver it, in the way we have constructed it, at a uniform wholesale price. In other words, we are addressing both availability and affordability.

High-speed broadband is essential for businesses who are looking to establish in regional Australia because it is fundamental to them accessing global supply chains. As a former trade minister I understand the importance of nations accessing global supply chains, but unless we are enabling the regions to do it they will be left behind. Beyond the e-commerce opportunities there are huge opportunities with our broadband rollout for e-health and e-education, both areas in which this government has committed substantial resources to build the physical infrastructure. What we want to do is build the telecommunications and broadband infrastructure so that the applications, insofar as those institutions are concerned, are affected. This is not just about improving voice access over the internet; it is the data access. So this is essential to regional development.

Now I am asked: are there any obstacles to this? Too right there are. There is the delay by those sitting on the other side of this chamber as to every attempt that we have made to roll this out. That delay, that procrastination, on that side of the House will hold regional Australia back. I urge all of those that argue that they have got an interest in regional economic development to understand the fundamental importance of this, as to enforcing it and encouraging it, and to get behind our initiatives and support them.

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