Senate debates

Monday, 24 March 2014

Questions without Notice

Telecommunications

2:27 pm

Photo of Dean SmithDean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Senator Fifield. Can the minister please inform the Senate of the extent of telecommunication black spots in my home state of Western Australia?

Photo of Mitch FifieldMitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for his question. I am very pleased to inform the Senate that since taking office this government has increased the number of premises passed by fibre in brownfield areas in Western Australia from 4,000 to 32,000. That is an eightfold increase, with another 34,666 under construction. And when this government tells people that construction has started, that means that we have signed construction contracts—not that we put a green splotch on a map somewhere and told people to wait.

Western Australians living in regional areas will, I know, be dismayed that under Labor not a single cent was invested in improving mobile coverage in that state. Other victims of black spots include those people living in the fixed wireless footprint in Western Australia. Labor told the public, prior to the election, that they would roll out a first-class fixed wireless network to four per cent of the population. They said they would get to 70,000 premises with their fixed wireless network by 30 June last year. In fact, they got to only 27,256 premises—missing their target by more than 60 per cent. Whether it be the carbon tax, the mining tax or telecommunications, as Senator Smith knows, as always with Labor, do not listen to what they say, look at what they do.

2:29 pm

Photo of Dean SmithDean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a supplementary question. Can the minister inform the Senate why it is important to have spectrum where you plan to build fixed wireless towers.

Photo of Mitch FifieldMitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | | Hansard source

We should not be surprised that the previous minister—Senator Conroy, who was not aware that there were tall trees in regional Australia!—also forgot to buy spectrum for about a third of the fixed wireless towers. I am not being too harsh—he just forgot. If you do not have spectrum you cannot transmit a signal. You literally have no means of connecting your customers to the fixed wireless service.

In Western Australia alone, Labor had begun design and planning on 51 fixed wireless towers servicing 16,700 premises in areas where they had absolutely no capacity to connect customers. It is what you would call a shambles. Clearly, the people of Western Australia deserve better.

2:30 pm

Photo of Dean SmithDean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I have a further supplementary question, Mr President. Can the minister inform the Senate what the government is doing to ensure that Western Australians are not neglected, as they were under the previous government.

Photo of Mitch FifieldMitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | | Hansard source

Nowhere was Labor's under-delivery worse than in Western Australia. As of the election, there were just 75 premises connected to the brownfield fibre network in the west. Labor was not building a national broadband network; as those in the west know all too well, Labor was building an eastern states broadband network. Since the election, we have slowly been getting the rollout back on track. We have started construction in areas covering an additional 34,000 premises in Western Australia.

We are also investing $100 million in mobile black spots. Our colleague, the parliamentary secretary, the member for Bradfield, is doing an excellent job in getting that program underway. West Australians can be assured that this government, unlike those opposite, takes fixing communication black spots seriously. I say again that Western Australia deserves better than those opposite.