Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

I rise today in support of the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards and Other Measures) Bill 2023. Reliable internet access is now an expectation and necessity in 21st century Australia; we're a quarter of the way into this century—wow! Telecommunication access and reliability is vital in much of today's economic, social, cultural and political activity.

We've seen in recent years just how important broadband connectivity has become, with hundreds of thousands of people socialising, working and studying online. That was only heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it continues today. The six-hour Tasmania Telstra outage in February 2022 and the more recent 14-hour national Optus outage left people unable to connect with loved ones, TV and radio stations inaccessible and urgent emails unread and unanswered, with the day-to-day routines of many coming to a halt. Such outages cost businesses thousands of dollars when payments cannot be taken, while the simplest of tasks are unable to be communicated to co-workers. It may be seen as a minor hindrance or annoyance to some, but in an emergency communication becomes a critical tool to save property or, above all, life. As the member for a rural and regional electorate, I know this is especially true in the regions.

This bill will deliver certainty to consumers and industry alike around access to these critical services. Through changes to five key areas of telecommunications regulation, the statutory infrastructure provider—or SIP—regime, this bill will also improve safeguards for Australians when they access broadband and voice services. Schedule 1 of the bill refines the statutory infrastructure provider, SIP, regime, which currently ensures all people in Australia can access high-speed broadband wherever they live or work. This will bring private networks for new developments under the SIP regime. Such networks are sometimes deployed in lifestyle or retirement villages or in multiunit buildings and have not previously been subject to SIP obligations. Bringing those areas under this regime will mean consumers serviced by private networks will have greater certainty that they can access broadband and voice at appropriate standards.

Schedule 2 of the bill will provide powers for the Australian Communications and Media Authority to encourage better compliance with requirements for new installations. This will provide a mechanism for SIPs to be required to pay compensation to customers where they do not meet a standard or a rule. While there are no detailed standards or rules in place due to the recent processes to finalise NBN Co's special access undertaking and standard terms, the existence of the mechanism will provide incentives to lift performance.

Schedule 3 of the bill provides powers for ACMA to publish the identities of carriers and carriage service providers in its reports on certain customer service issues and to share information more easily with the government. Importantly, this will allow consumers to make purchasing decisions that are better informed and improve competition and service delivery.

Schedule 4 of the bill will amend the universal service obligation so the minister can determine specific universal service areas in Australia. This will provide flexibility for potential future changes such as bringing Norfolk Island into the universal service regime. While several legislative steps need to be taken for this to occur, this is a foundational step that may assist in the future.

Schedule 5 of the bill makes technical amendments to specific aspects of the regulatory framework. This includes important changes to enhance the enforcement of the carrier separation rules of the Telecommunications Act and the Regional Broadband Scheme, which funds NBN Co's fixed wireless and satellite networks.

I am particularly pleased to see measures in the bill that will give the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman a clearer role in resolving disputes about service connections. Under the new laws, the ombudsman will be able to work with customers and providers to resolve problems. My office often assists farmers and others who live in the most regional part of Lyons who need additional assistance from telcos to make sure they can access the phone and internet services they need. This bill makes it easier for rural and regional Tasmanians to get access to broadband and voice services and empowers the ombudsman to work with both customers and providers should issues arise during the connection process.

At the end of last year in my role as Chair of the House Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts, I had the opportunity to table the committee's most recent report, Connecting the country: missioncritical, from the inquiry into current investment into multicarrier regional infrastructure. The report goes directly to what I am speaking about today—ensuring that the necessary infrastructure and regulations are in place so all Australians, including regional and rural Australians, can reliably access critical telecommunications services.

During the inquiry that informed the report, the committee heard from consumers and industry alike, including state and territory governments, Indigenous communities, primary producers, councils, business chambers, emergency services, health services and community groups. They were a very complex set of hearings and we took a lot of evidence. The overwhelming feedback from across the country was clear: reliable telecommunication services are not a nice-to-have but as essential a service as electricity or running water in our everyday lives. Part of the title of the committee's report—'mission critical'—says it all. I am proud to be part of a government that recognises this and is committed to delivering improved communications infrastructure, services and resilience for all Australians.

I would like to thank the minister for her support through the process. I think she is doing terrific work in this regard. In my electorate of Lyons, for example, I was recently able to announce funding for new mobile base stations in Sheffield, Tea Tree and Ansons Bay through the improving mobile coverage round. This funding delivered my election commitment of a $2.25 million investment by the Albanese Labor government to improve mobile phone coverage in these areas. At the end of last year I met with the Ansons Bay Telecommunications Working Group to discuss the progress of the new mobile phone tower and just how important this project is to members of this isolated north-east community. For those who may not know Ansons Bay, it is a 'one road in and one road out' community. It's a beautiful little spot up in the north-east of Tasmania. It's very isolated and prone to bushfires and so telecommunications is an absolute must.

Residents of Lyons have also benefited from the government's Mobile Black Spot Program, which has extended and improved mobile coverage in Pyengana, Murdunna, Liena, Colebrook. Blackstone Heights, Lachlan and Wilmot, just to name a few. Further, the Albanese government's $480 million investment to upgrade NBN fixed wireless services has meant more than 7,500 residents and businesses across Lyons now have access to uncapped satellite broadband services through NBN Co's Sky Muster Plus product, delivering faster speeds and responding to the demand for more data. That's not to mention the families and businesses in Lyons that already have and those who soon will be able to upgrade to a full-fibre broadband connection as part of the Albanese government's plan for a better National Broadband Network. These upgrades are possible thanks to the Albanese government's $2.4 billion investment to expand full-fibre access to an additional 1.5 million premises by the end of 2025. I think we're a long way removed from the words of former prime minister Abbott, who I think back then said five megabytes or something like that was all you needed in the regions. I can't remember the exact quote, but it's laughable now when we look at the data needs in the regions, not just in homes but also in businesses and on farms, where they are using technology on farm. The communications requirements are just growing and growing. It's fair to say that the telecommunications requirements in the bush are just as critical, if not more so, than they are in elements of the city.

My constituents in Evandale, Longford, Perth, Scamander, Bridgewater, Campbell Town, New Norfolk, Old Beach and Pontville can now upgrade from the slower, less reliable copper broadband network retained by the former coalition government to affordable, reliable, high-speed fibre broadband with no upfront installation cost. It is investments like these that ensure more of my constituents—more Australians—can take advantage of all the opportunities of the digital global economy.

Taken together, the measures in this bill will improve access to broadband and voice services for people across Australia, including in the regions. Australians expect to have access to broadband and voice services and to be able to access these services with a minimum of fuss. They expect the infrastructure to be built and the necessary regulations and consumer safeguards to be in place. This bill is key to meeting those expectations, to improving access to critical communications in Australia and to ensuring certainty for consumers and industry alike of access to broadband and voice services. I commend the bill to the House.

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