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

The Gillard government understands the potential of fast, affordable and, most importantly, ubiquitous broadband to transform the way that this country works. Launching Australia's first National Telework Week just last Monday, the Prime Minister committed to a target of 12 per cent of APS employees regularly teleworking by 2020. Telework not only improves productivity and saves infrastructure costs but also increases workforce participation.

Independent research that we released last week found telework can significantly increase participation of people who are not in the labour force through disability, carer responsibilities or location. The research found that this teleworking can enable up to 25,000 equivalent new full-time jobs. (Time expired)