Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I am delighted to answer these questions so that I can correct the Labor Party’s abysmal ignorance of international comparisons. Despite claims to the contrary, there is a growing body of data which supports Australia’s position as an information economy leader. Australia’s growth in broadband take-up per 100 people grew faster than any other OECD country except Denmark in the six months to June 2006. In addition, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2006 e-readiness rankings placed Australia eighth out of 68 countries, up from 10th place in 2005 and 12th in 2004. Perhaps more importantly, in the same survey—this is very important—Australia was ranked first in the Asia-Pacific region. The rapid growth in broadband adoption as a result of the ongoing reform of the telecommunications market—