Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Telecommunications Amendment (Infrastructure in New Developments) Bill 2020. The context of this bill, as set out in the explanatory memorandum, is to address unincorporated developers that have a legally enforceable obligation to install pit and pipe infrastructure in new property developments. This will ensure that Australians who move into new homes can have the confidence that underground ducts and pipes, which are needed to subsequently connect to the NBN and other networks, have been installed as required. In the rare circumstances where they are not, this bill will make it possible to issue penalties and other remedial actions to unincorporated developers.

Labor supports this bill as it addresses a small gap in our existing consumer protection framework. The proposals are sensible, and we do hope that passage of this bill brings us very close to eliminating the number of instances where developers fail to install telecommunications infrastructure. I commend the bill to the Senate.