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

I rise to speak on the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Protecting Services for Rural and Regional Australia into the Future) Bill 2007. The bill seeks to protect the $2 billion Communications Fund, the pork-barrelling slush fund that was established by the government in September 2005 under pressure from the National Party in response to the privatisation of Telstra. The Communications Fund was intended to earn an income stream to finance spending on telecommunications projects in Australia. The projects are supposed to come from the government’s response to any recommendations proposed by the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee. Despite the fact that the fund was established in 2005, the first report was not due until 2008—that is, until the government went into full panic mode and brought forward the review committee report, announcing on 13 August that it would start immediately.

Senator Barnaby Joyce was the man who christened the Communications Fund a slush fund—and proudly so, as this was his prize for selling out the people of Queensland after he promised them that he would oppose the sale of Telstra. This was his slush fund. Senator Barnaby Joyce, along with many other members of the National Party—who have realised that political expediency is yet again failing to deliver broadband to millions of regional and rural Australians—have demanded that the review committee start immediately so that they can get a few photo opportunities between now and the federal election. No-one should be under any illusions: the recommendations that will come forward over the next few weeks will be nothing more than pork-barrelling and photo opportunities for a panicked National Party, which has been involved in a tawdry process from day one when it comes to the sale of Telstra.

This new legislation quarantines the $2 billion capital of the Communications Fund. If passed, only the interest earned on the $2 billion fund may be used to improve the state of telecommunication services in rural, regional and remote Australia. This will result in up to $400 million every three years to ensure that telecommunication services in rural, regional and remote Australia keep pace with the rest of the nation. Just in case the National Party cannot add up, subtract or divide, let me be clear about this: the price of the National Party’s votes was $133 million per annum. I am looking forward to the contribution of Senator Fiona Nash, who is here in the chamber today, as she tries to explain why the National Party went so cheap that it sold out for $133 million per annum. That was the National Party’s price for selling out millions of regional and rural Australians and their ability to get decent telecommunications and broadband. This amount is not enough to ensure telecommunication services in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia keep pace with the rest of the nation.

Does the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts believe that this amount is enough to ensure that the intent of the Communications Fund is met? Is $133 million a year enough to provide adequate broadband to millions of regional and rural Australians? Is it enough to ensure that Australians living in rural, regional and remote areas have access to affordable, reliable and up-to-date telecommunication services into the future? Labor—and, indeed, some of the government’s own senators—do not believe so. That is right: this may come as a surprise but some of the government’s own senators do not believe that this legislation is worth while. The truth is that the legislation will not improve telecommunication services in rural, regional and remote Australia. If it would do so, the government’s own backbenchers would have recommended a vote for it in the report of the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Let me be clear: the government’s own senators—your own senators, Senator Nash—did not recommend a vote for this legislation in the Senate committee report. The truth is that this legislation will not improve telecommunication services in rural, regional and remote Australia.

This legislation is another sign of the Howard government’s desperate politics. It is a political stunt with the intended aim of highlighting the fact that Labor will use the Communications Fund to provide investment capital to build a national broadband network. This is a national broadband network that will benefit all Australians. This is a national broadband network that will ensure Australia’s future prosperity. Rather than governing in the national interest, the government prefers to attack Labor for showing leadership and solving the broadband problems that continue to plague our country.