Media Release

Minister addresses APEC meeting in Bangkok

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, today addressed the 7th APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.

“The Australian Government is firmly committed to broadening and deepening our links in the Asia–Pacific region and APEC is one of the most important regional forums,” Senator Conroy said.

“Today I called on my APEC counterparts to support regional cooperation to make the internet a safer and more secure environment.”

“In the connected digital world, issues of security and safety cannot be solved separately by individual APEC members.”

“Cyber-safety is a priority issue and we want to work with our Asia–Pacific colleagues to share experience and good practice in dealing with child exploitation and building a safer online environment for children,” Senator Conroy said.

Senator Conroy also called on APEC to look at charges for international mobile roaming in the region and barriers to cross-border business communication services. He gave his support to the proposed work on ‘good practice’ submarine cable protection.

“We should be examining the charges for international mobile phone roaming, particularly as demand for mobile data services grows and businesses adopt more specialised services requiring cross-border access,” Senator Conroy said.

“More than 70 per cent of our trade is with APEC member economies, so it is crucial we continue to engage internationally to develop the digital economy.”

APEC is a forum designed for sharing information and experiences with member economies and encouraging cooperation on those challenges that require cross-border collaboration.

23 April 2008