Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stand tonight to draw an analogy between the actions of Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett and those of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. I refer to their ability to be consummate spin doctors. They are all spin and no substance.

Today we had an announcement from Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett with respect to the proposed start-up of the fibre optic cable across Bass Strait to Tasmania. It will now be lit, according to the Premier. He said words along the lines that high speed broadband infrastructure will be the dams, poles and wires of the future and will underpin our economic strength and jobs growth for decades to come. He says that it has been the highest priority of his government, yet his government has been there for 10 years and only today do we have the decision that the cable is finally going to be lit.

The Tasmanian government have been paying $2 million a year for the privilege of leasing the fibre optic cable across Bass Strait without it being lit or active—that is, it has been dormant. They have poured $2 million a year into a big black hole since 2004. It is a great shame. Premier Bartlett should be standing up today and apologising to the Tasmanian public. H e should be saying: ‘I am ashamed of myself and the actions of my state government. For the last four years we have squandered approximately $2 million a year. But now we can say that this fibre optic cable, which is costing the taxpayers so much, is going to be activated.’ This is of course welcome. This is a catch-up job for us to catch up to the rest of the nation.

I ask Premier David Bartlett to come clean with the Tasmanian public about the total cost to the taxpayer since the Basslink fibre optic cable was first laid and to announce the exact date when it will commence. We have seen a lot of fanfare today from Premier David Bartlett about this news, which he says is fantastic for Tasmania. We have seen a lot of fanfare and bluff and bluster and we have seen a lot of spin and PR, yet we have not seen the details of exactly when it is going to start. We have heard that it will be early next year. Whether it will be February, March, April or May, we do not exactly know. That has not been made clear to us or to the public. In fact, why are we waiting until then? Why can’t it start now—this week or early next week or next month? The reason is that the Tasmanian government have been sitting on their hands in a very dilatory manner. The mismanagement and maladministration of our great state of Tasmania is very sad. Labor is foisting this on the Tasmanian taxpayer. Today’s announcement is a real catch-up job. We are so behind the times it is embarrassing. The state government cannot even announce a definitive start date. When exactly will it start? Tasmanian taxpayers have been paying $2 million a year in rent for a cable lying dormant on the sea floor. This is a disgrace.

It will be important to now review the agreement to assess its exact benefits to Tasmania, and I hope they make available to the public the terms and conditions of the agreement so that we Tasmanian taxpayers know exactly what we are going to be dealt. We will know whether it is a fair deal or a raw deal, whether it will be for the long term and what terms and conditions will apply to the agreement that has been signed with CitySpring, the owners of the cable.

I will comment shortly on federal Labor’s national broadband network but, before doing so, I want to also advise that the Premier is correct in his statement today, in which he said that the cost of moving data from Hobart to Melbourne was up to 10 times higher than the cost of moving the same data from Melbourne to Adelaide, and it was even dearer than some international routes. If it was so bad and so cost prohibitive, why has it taken the Labor government in Tasmania10 years in to get any action? It is disappointing.

The fact that high speed broadband is now coming to Tasmania is good news for people in rural and regional Tasmania, for small business people, for those in health and education and for mum and dad broadband users. But it is a catch-up job. We are catching up to the rest of the nation. Tasmania has been left behind for years and years as a result of mismanagement and maladministration by the Tasmanian Labor government.

Yes, Telstra have had a monopoly in this regard for many years, and I am sure that they will rise to the challenge of competition in Tasmania. I am assured by the Telstra Countrywide manager in Launceston, Michael Patterson, who does a good job and is a professional, that they will be working hard to compete in this new environment once this fibre optic cable is lit.

Benefits will flow through from this, but it is a catch-up job and we must not forget that this is a big spin job by the state Labor government. I commend Will Hodgman, the state opposition leader in Tasmania, for his comments late this afternoon in which he welcomed the announcement but also confirmed that it was very belated indeed. He also expressed similar concerns about the need to get the terms and conditions clarified as soon as possible.

In addition, I notice that Aurora Energy and Basslink have put out a media release this afternoon. I thank Peter Davis for forwarding that to me. They say that Aurora Energy and Basslink have today signed a contract under which they will each deliver nationally competitive broadband services to Tasmania. That was signed in Hobart this afternoon and I hope we see the full terms and conditions of that as soon as possible.

As for waiting for federal Labor’s national broadband network, the likelihood of the national broadband network even touching on Tasmania by 2012 is looking more and more remote. Of course, under the former coalition government we would have had it years sooner. Recent reports—and I think it was on the front page of the Australian a couple of days ago—showed that there is a possibility of Telstra refusing to submit a bid. Of course, that is worrying. The Terria consortium is losing members, and some of those members have commented publicly. Senator Nick Minchin, our shadow minister, made note of that during question time today and in other places.

The tender process has been a shambles. The plan looks likely to start in the major cities and grow out to the regions, leaving Tasmania as a last priority. Why is it a last priority? Can the Labor members and the Labor senators from Tasmania please advise the public why Tasmania is a last priority. It is not right. We should be fairly dealt with. Expensive broadband is hurting Tasmanians in the same way that high fuel and grocery prices do. At some point every product uses the internet. Expensive broadband is holding us back in key areas like health, education and business.

I had the privilege of hosting a communications forum in Launceston on 11 June this year, which was attended by many industry and small business stakeholders, including Andrew Connor, from Digital Tasmania. We had the Launceston Chamber of Commerce, various small business operators, IT professionals and Hon. Bruce Billson, who was the then shadow minister for broadband. He gave an excellent address and highlighted the need for action from the federal Labor government to get the national broadband network to Tasmania much sooner. It appears that the 2012 outlook is looking very shaky indeed. I bring that to the attention of the Senate. It is a real worry and we need further action in that regard. We are looking for more action and more answers from the state Labor government and, in particular, the total cost of the cable and the definitive start date for this optic fibre cable which is bringing broadband to Tasmania.