Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I want to commend our government for putting digital literacy, infrastructure and innovation at the centre of our government's policy, because we know in the 21st century that, to be successful, to overcome the challenges and to embrace all the opportunities of the 21st century, access to fast, reliable broadband and mobile services is essential. We need that digital infrastructure, particularly out in regional Australia. I am very proud of our Mobile Black Spot Program, developed by the shadow minister at the time, Luke Hartsuyker, and our decision as a government to prioritise those communities of need under the rollout of the NBN.

I am also particularly proud of our ministers outlining their response this week to the regional telecommunications review, where we are looking at the ongoing rollout gathering pace across the country, with regional Australians seeing benefits in the first half of this year; the launch of commercial services on the Sky Muster satellite; the ongoing rollout of high-speed NBN fixed wireless broadband services; and the ongoing rollout of the Mobile Black Spot Program, with almost 500 new or upgraded mobile base stations to be switched on over the next three years and a further $60 million committed to round 2 of the program in addition to the $100 million investment made under round 1. The announcement this week recognises the important role telecommunications play in the social and economic development of regional Australia.

I want to go to the coalition's rollout model, where every household and business in Australia will have access to download data rates of at least 25 megabits per second. That is faster than the maximum speed currently available on ADSL technology. The rollout plan aims to deliver speeds of up to 50 megabits per second to 90 per cent of fixed line premises as soon as possible. That is at least twice as fast as the ADSL maximum. Our plan provides flexibility for future upgrades and the further optimisation of the rollout as technology advances, because, as we all know, this is a very fast-moving space. So I think there have been some giant steps over the last two years in how telecommunications has been covered in my home state of Victoria. I know that, under the leadership of Senator Fifield and the new Minister for Regional Communications, Senator Nash, that will absolutely continue. But there are some areas that do need attention.

Tonight I particularly want to refer to those issues I am aware of in the Murrindindi Shire, in my home state of Victoria. The Murrindindi Shire is in the outer urban area of Melbourne. It was absolutely devastated by the Black Saturday fires. It knows the importance of essential infrastructure in the digital sphere, not only for emergency services provision and communications but to take advantage of all the economic opportunities. It has a strong population of commuters, so to have access to that digital infrastructure will increase economic opportunities within the shire. That access will also improve opportunities for the provision of educational services to children in the shire. Yes, every kid goes along to school and, when they study and are given their homework, particularly if they are in senior secondary school, they have to access the internet to download reports and sometimes submit their homework and options papers. So having access to fast, reliable broadband is essential for educational opportunities.

The Nationals candidate for Indi, Mr Marty Corboy, has told me that he travelled through the seat of Indi this week and met with constituents. He was very concerned as he spoke to locals, whether they were business owners, parents or emergency services providers, about the importance of getting this digital infrastructure on the ground in that area. I really want to commend him for his strong advocacy. In particular he mentioned the case of Mark in the town of Yea in the southern part of the electorate. Marty tells me that Mark is a small business owner in that community but also a father of small children who use the internet for their homework. He is currently paying $160 a month for 25 gigs, which is not enough his family to run their business and provide educational opportunities for the children. I am told the current Telstra exchange is not designed for today's internet and needs urgent upgrading to be able to handle the faster and more efficient services that are being delivered.

What we all wish could happen is that we could click our fingers and have NBN exist for every family and every business that needs it across the country, but that is actually not reality.

Senator O'Neill interjecting—

While officially the NBN rollout started in 2009, it languished for more than four years under Labor. So, Senator O'Neill, please let's not go there, because I am not going to promote the fact that under you guys it went nowhere and we focused on families of need. I want to raise the fact that before the NBN rollout can be complete, there is a lag in some communities, and it is the responsibility of the owners of the infrastructure—Telstra—to ensure that, until the NBN arrives at a family home or business, that essential infrastructure is maintained. I urge Telstra and the other telecommunications providers to look at this issue and at their service provision throughout the Murrindindi Shire to ensure that families like Mark's can get the education services they need.

I thank Marty Corboy for his advocacy in this area and look forward to hopefully seeing him elected. I know that already as a candidate he has been such a strong advocate for his local community and I am sure he would make a strong and welcome contribution to a re-elected Turnbull government.