Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker, but, respectfully, the lived experience of people in Hampton East and Moorabbin because of density issues is explicitly about the absence of mobile phone connection. In fact, they contact me about it, whether it's mobile phone connections or it's television reception. These things aren't being factored into developments, and, as a consequence, they don't have access to modern telecommunications services. So I'm being explicitly relevant to the legislation and making sure that people have access to those services.

I know that the Minister for Housing is completely ignorant of how people live their lives in the 21st century, and, as a consequence, she doesn't understand what she seeks to wreak upon our communities. But some of us are very squarely focused on what people need, which is why the universal outdoor mobile obligation is such an important part of the conversation. We know that, when Australians have a big problem with being able to access services, there is a role for government, to make sure that we bridge the divide—but I realise that the Minister for Housing is now leaving the chamber in humiliation, because of the shrill responses we have heard. That's her choice. We're going to continue to focus on how we build the housing infrastructure we need to promote homeownership. We're going to continue to build the telecommunications and telephonic infrastructure we need to make sure that Australians can live their lives and live out the best of their lives. At the end of the day, the Labor Party only has one pathway forward—they want to control your lives as Australians. They want to be able to grab the artifice and the instruments of the state, dictate to people how to live their lives and control their lives, whether it's economically, socially or educationally, through every stage. Some of us are going to stand up against it. Some of us are going to stand up for empowering Australians, whether it's in homeownership or making sure people have access to telecommunications services.

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