093/05
10 August 2005

Conroy’s bluster does little for telecommunications consumer

Labor has yet again squandered taxpayer’s money and Parliament’s time by reconstituting the same old political set piece inquiry on the sale of Telstra, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, said today.

“Most of the recommendations in Labor’s report released today are exactly the same as recommendations put forward in previous committee reports and Labor has failed to acknowledge the significant regulatory reforms and more than $1 billion invested by the Government in telecommunications services,” Senator Coonan said.

“As the Government Senators’ dissenting report points out, the Government’s competition and regulatory reforms since 1997 have produced real benefits for Australian consumers and the ACCC has found the Government’s competition and regulatory reforms have cut call costs for consumers by more than 20 per cent.

“Research by the Australian Communications Authority has found the Australian economy is more than $10.4 billion larger thanks to our current competition regime.

“The ACA also found that this Government’s regulatory framework and reforms have resulted in the creation of around 30,000 extra jobs, benefits to small business in excess of $2.1 billion and the output of the telecommunications industry being 96 per cent greater than if the Government’s reforms had not happened.

“Senator Conroy continues to push for unnecessary regulatory burden on Telstra such as structural separation. This is despite his predecessor, Lindsay Tanner, publicly stating that structural separation was inappropriate, too costly and too complex.

“At least the Labor Senators have backed away from their demands of last year that the Government spend $5 billion implementing obsolete dial-up Internet services”

“If this Inquiry achieved anything at all, it was to force Senator Conroy to leave his comfortable Melbourne office to visit only two regional centres as part of this Inquiry.

“I know that regional Australia is foreign territory for Senator Conroy but I always find it incredibly valuable to talk with people living in regional, rural and remote areas to help separate the reality from the rhetoric.

“In the last 12 months I have visited 45 regional, rural and remote areas in every State and Territory to hold public forums and meetings with local communities.

“Rural and regional Australia is clearly not a priority for Labor and telecommunications services in this country are just another excuse for Labor Senators to engage in political opportunism. While the Government is getting on with the job Labor is still navel-gazing and wondering just what it is they stand for.”