Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. Having embarrassingly withdrawn the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Communications Fund) Bill 2008 from the Notice Paper last week while you were away, will the government now give a commitment to the people of rural and regional Australia that it will not raid the $2 billion Communications Fund? Further, having withdrawn this bill, will the minister explain how the government now intends to fund its $4.7 billion national broadband network?

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

The opposition continues to be in a state of confusion. I will not blame Senator Birmingham for firing the bullets provided to him by the shadow minister, Mr Billson.

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Or Senator Minchin.

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

I will be kind to Senator Minchin; I do not think so. The opposition continues to suggest that it is unclear what the government’s plans are to do with the Communications Fund. Senator Birmingham and I had a lengthy discussion in Senate estimates about this. Nothing could be further from the truth. On budget night, the Treasurer announced that the Communications Fund balance would be transferred to the Building Australia Fund. This is fully spelt out in black and white on page 184 of Budget Paper No. 2. The Building Australia Fund has been established by the Rudd government as a financing source for future investment in critical economic infrastructure, including broadband. It is for this reason that the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Communications Fund) Bill 2008 is no longer required and has been withdrawn.

The opposition has claimed that the telecommunications needs of rural, regional and remote Australia might not be met. I can, however, reassure the Senate that they will be. The Building Australia Fund will be used to provide the government’s contribution of up to $4.7 billion for the national broadband network, which is expected to cover 98 per cent of Australian homes and businesses, including the vast majority of people in rural and regional Australia.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

According to who?

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

According to the tender proposal, Senator Abetz; it is written there in black and white. In addition, $400 million will also be available from the Building Australia Fund for regional telecommunications, subject to the government’s consideration of the Glasson review. This is in stark contrast to the previous government, which would only have provided around $400 million every three years to spend on improving telecommunications in rural and regional Australia. Under the previous government’s approach, regional Australians would have waited 35 long years to reach the same level of investment that the Rudd government is prepared to make right away. That is right: 35 years from those—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You don’t believe that!

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

It is a mathematical fact, Senator Abetz. You were going to spend about $120 million a year; we are spending $4.7 billion. You work it out: it comes to 35 years, Senator Abetz—35 years for you to match what we are doing.

The government is demonstrating its commitment to regional Australians by establishing the Building Australia Fund, which will provide for future investments in critical economic infrastructure across Australia. Let me be clear: the national broadband network is expected to provide dedicated downlink speeds of at least 12 megabits per second to 98 per cent of Australian homes and business, including the vast majority of people in rural and regional Australia. This is a necessary and overdue investment in infrastructure which is critical to Australia’s long-term economic and social prosperity. The government— (Time expired)

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I note the very hollow commitments there to regional and rural Australia. Can the minister confirm if essential network information has now been provided to potential bidders? And, if not, when will it be? Further, how can the Australian public or indeed potential bidders for Labor’s $4.7 billion network have any confidence when the timing keeps changing, necessary information is not yet provided and the government keeps changing its mind on the legislative instrument it is going to use to even fund the network?

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

The difficulty when you are preparing opposition questions is that you are reliant solely on the information you read in the newspaper and a bit of gossip you pick up around the place. It does not matter if it is true. It does not matter if it ignores the facts. The whole question is based on false assertions and on incorrect information, and it is disappointing that Senator Birmingham has chosen to read a question supplied by Mr Billson, who continues to believe his own press releases.