Mr ELFERINK - 2001-07-03
Over recent times, I have been impressed by some of the things that I have seen coming out of this department. I would like the minister to give details about the exciting development of communications in remote areas of the Territory. Could the minister also advise what is happening in relation to mobile telephone communications along the length of the Stuart Highway?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for not only his question, but his interest in this particular area, where the subject of communications and remote area communications, is indeed one of great interest for the honourable member.
There is some good news to report, particularly in the area of the mobile phone part of the question that the honourable member has just requested. The federal government, through the Networking the Nation Scheme, has allocated $1m to the Northern Territory to assist with the mobile phone roll-out in areas along the Stuart Highway, and also in remote areas. The Stuart Highway sites include Adelaide River, Batchelor, Erldunda, Mataranka and Pine Creek. The remote areas include Nguiu on Melville Island, and also Alyangula and Angurugu on Groote Eylandt.
Ms Martin: On Bathurst Island.
Mr ADAMSON: On Bathurst Island. You are right. Nguiu on Bathurst Island. And two locations also in need were the Katherine Gorge and Yulara Airport.
The Northern Territory government played a very significant role in actually putting the assistance together for the communities that applied for mobile phone funding. We are, in fact, hoping that the carriers would express a bigger interest in this particular area when expressions of interest were given. But at least the carrier Telstra, in this particular case, did express an interest in funding and servicing these particular communities. The deal basically will be major funding halved between the federal government and Telstra, with a minor contribution from the communities themselves. It is in the order of about $10 000.
The technology is the CDMA network, which admittedly many Territorians do not have. But certainly in terms of remote areas and on major highways, it is the way that the rest of Australia appears to be going.
This is an indication of where the Northern Territory government has worked very well as a facilitator hand-in-hand with local governments in rolling out some very important infrastructure to the people of the Northern Territory.
In addition to that, the recent funding announcements for the Networking the Nation schemes here in the Northern Territory have included a top-up to now include up to $4m of funding for our electronic outback program. This particular program provides the latest communications technology such as video conferencing equipment, Internet access, e-mail, personal computers and fax machines to remote communities. The funding this week included an extra $910 000 which topped it up to about $4m. That money will go for the installation of PCs, fax machines, and video conferencing equipment in 10 communities across the Northern Territory. That funding will allow the 10 communities to come into line with the four communities that are getting the full service which includes video conferencing, PCs, faxes and pay phone.
The installation of equipment and infrastructure into these 14 remote communities is progressing well. By the end of this week equipment will be installed in Harts Range, Aputula and also in Port Keats. That follows the official opening of the facilities at Milikapiti on 28 May, when the community there officially reopened their library site. That particular community is already actively using those facilities in a variety of ways.
There are an additional 10 communities and the Northern Territory government will continue to work with that. We are, I am very happy to report, working with a number of other communities to roll out that particular program.
I place on record the appreciation to both the officers of the department and the federal officers who have worked on this, and also the members of the Aboriginal communities throughout the Northern Territory who have worked very well in cooperating with the Northern Territory government and other facilitators to get these projects up and running.
There is still, as I reported in this House last week, a difficulty that we are experiencing with another organisation, the Outback Digital Network. We are on record, as we have been for the last 18 months plus, of saying we would only be too happy to further discuss details with them. Unfortunately, we have seen claims come out like the Prime Minister was going to announce funding for the project two months ago, and that never happened; that the funding was going to come from a commercial basis, and still has not happened. But while there is a credibility issue there, we are more than willing to work with that particular organisation. I simply reinstate that request and commitment which was put on the record in this House, and in other places, by myself and others more than 18 months ago.
We have some very good tangible results to report to this House. Mobile phone technology that will be rolled out to bolster the already significant Telstra network is underway. Those communities have been very cooperative with this government and we look forward to continue working with them, and with very interested local members to further provide communications to the people of the Northern Territory.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for not only his question, but his interest in this particular area, where the subject of communications and remote area communications, is indeed one of great interest for the honourable member.
There is some good news to report, particularly in the area of the mobile phone part of the question that the honourable member has just requested. The federal government, through the Networking the Nation Scheme, has allocated $1m to the Northern Territory to assist with the mobile phone roll-out in areas along the Stuart Highway, and also in remote areas. The Stuart Highway sites include Adelaide River, Batchelor, Erldunda, Mataranka and Pine Creek. The remote areas include Nguiu on Melville Island, and also Alyangula and Angurugu on Groote Eylandt.
Ms Martin: On Bathurst Island.
Mr ADAMSON: On Bathurst Island. You are right. Nguiu on Bathurst Island. And two locations also in need were the Katherine Gorge and Yulara Airport.
The Northern Territory government played a very significant role in actually putting the assistance together for the communities that applied for mobile phone funding. We are, in fact, hoping that the carriers would express a bigger interest in this particular area when expressions of interest were given. But at least the carrier Telstra, in this particular case, did express an interest in funding and servicing these particular communities. The deal basically will be major funding halved between the federal government and Telstra, with a minor contribution from the communities themselves. It is in the order of about $10 000.
The technology is the CDMA network, which admittedly many Territorians do not have. But certainly in terms of remote areas and on major highways, it is the way that the rest of Australia appears to be going.
This is an indication of where the Northern Territory government has worked very well as a facilitator hand-in-hand with local governments in rolling out some very important infrastructure to the people of the Northern Territory.
In addition to that, the recent funding announcements for the Networking the Nation schemes here in the Northern Territory have included a top-up to now include up to $4m of funding for our electronic outback program. This particular program provides the latest communications technology such as video conferencing equipment, Internet access, e-mail, personal computers and fax machines to remote communities. The funding this week included an extra $910 000 which topped it up to about $4m. That money will go for the installation of PCs, fax machines, and video conferencing equipment in 10 communities across the Northern Territory. That funding will allow the 10 communities to come into line with the four communities that are getting the full service which includes video conferencing, PCs, faxes and pay phone.
The installation of equipment and infrastructure into these 14 remote communities is progressing well. By the end of this week equipment will be installed in Harts Range, Aputula and also in Port Keats. That follows the official opening of the facilities at Milikapiti on 28 May, when the community there officially reopened their library site. That particular community is already actively using those facilities in a variety of ways.
There are an additional 10 communities and the Northern Territory government will continue to work with that. We are, I am very happy to report, working with a number of other communities to roll out that particular program.
I place on record the appreciation to both the officers of the department and the federal officers who have worked on this, and also the members of the Aboriginal communities throughout the Northern Territory who have worked very well in cooperating with the Northern Territory government and other facilitators to get these projects up and running.
There is still, as I reported in this House last week, a difficulty that we are experiencing with another organisation, the Outback Digital Network. We are on record, as we have been for the last 18 months plus, of saying we would only be too happy to further discuss details with them. Unfortunately, we have seen claims come out like the Prime Minister was going to announce funding for the project two months ago, and that never happened; that the funding was going to come from a commercial basis, and still has not happened. But while there is a credibility issue there, we are more than willing to work with that particular organisation. I simply reinstate that request and commitment which was put on the record in this House, and in other places, by myself and others more than 18 months ago.
We have some very good tangible results to report to this House. Mobile phone technology that will be rolled out to bolster the already significant Telstra network is underway. Those communities have been very cooperative with this government and we look forward to continue working with them, and with very interested local members to further provide communications to the people of the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016