Leader of The Nationals in the Senate, Ron Boswell, last night lamented the need for legislation currently being debated in the Senate to ensure future Labor Governments will not be able to spend the principle of the Coalition’s Regional Telecommunications fund. Speaking on the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Protecting Services for Rural and Regional Australia into the future) Bill 2007, Senator Boswell said that, if elected, a Labor Government would pilfer the $2 billion fund, won by The Nationals to keep regional telecommunications services up to standard. “This legislation is required as insurance against a future Labor Party government. “We said that, if Telstra is sold, we want to ensure rural and regional Australia never gets left behind, as it was at the end of the last Labor Party administration,” Senator Boswell said. “That $2 billion is there to keep rural and regional Australia up to speed when new technology comes through. I am sad to say that Labor will raid that $2 billion. “Labor has said they want that $2 billion to put forward their plan for the use of fibre-to-the-node technology. “Senator Nash said that fibre to the node will be effective within 1.5 kilometres. I have a note here to the effect it might go 4 kilometres. But, whether it is 1.5 kilometres or 4 kilometres, it does not make a great deal of difference when your home is five kilometres from the front gate, let alone five kilometres from the nearest town. “Fibre-to-the-node won’t work in rural and regional Australia, and 25 per cent of the people will be left out. There will be no plan under Labor to support them. It is bad enough to exclude 25 per cent of regional Australia, but they then want to rob the fund. Senator Boswell said that the Government’s $958 million contribution to the OPEL plan to deliver high speed broadband services to 99% of Australians would be supplemented by the first $400 million of investment earnings from the telecommunications fund to deliver services to regional and remote Australia, and particularly to the 1% who won’t be able to access the OPEL network. “No-one can deny that the National Party and the Liberal Party have stood up for the bush. “Unfortunately, we need to pass this legislation through; otherwise the $2 billion to ensure services for regional Australia would go up in smoke if Labor were to win government. ENDS Media Contact - 02 6277 3244 or 0428 714 779