Page 515 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 March 2014
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MR DOSZPOT: I will ask the question. My question is to the Minister for Economic Development or the Chief Minister. As part of the digital Canberra action plan 2014-18, it was indicated that free wi-fi in town centres will be implemented within the next 12 months. What public areas have been earmarked for free wi-fi? I think you have already indicated Garema Place. Could you tell us what parts of Garema Place have been earmarked for the free wi-fi?
MADAM SPEAKER: I think that is a question to you, Chief Minister.
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Mr Doszpot for the question. As I said in my previous answer, the idea is that we would start with Civic as the first location and then we would look to roll it out into the town centres—Belconnen, Tuggeranong, Woden and then look at areas like public spaces within there—like Garema Place and Glebe Park, for example—and also bus interchanges.
There is a bit more work to do around whether or not this is the best technology for buses, but this is all subject to further negotiation and finalisation with the preferred vendor. All of those arrangements have not been finalised but our negotiating point is that this is where we would like it to start. If possible, if it is able to be delivered within the scope of those negotiations, it will be the largest public wi-fi network in Australia.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, what consideration has been given to the impact on businesses that already have installed wi-fi?
MS GALLAGHER: We have had some discussions about that. When you look around the world where you are increasingly seeing big public wi-fi networks, they are working alongside cafes and restaurants and places which provide their own wi-fi. It is certainly not an initiative that is designed directly to help business; this is an initiative designed to enable greater access to this technology for people as they conduct their everyday lives.
I do not think it will disadvantage any business; the idea behind a public wi-fi is not targeted as a business initiative. There are controls that can be put on the wi-fi arrangements. They are, again, subject to the negotiations with the vendor, but this is really about democratising access to technology and allowing people, particularly people on low incomes who cannot afford expensive download plans, the ability to access technology and download in a public space.
If you look at big companies, they quite often will have a day where they ask their employees not to come to work so they can go and use public wi-fi systems to do their work as a way of breaking down some of the more traditional ways we conduct our 9-to-5 lives. So this is a great enabler. I do not think there is any suggestion or any concern that has been raised by business that it is going to be harmful to businesses that have those arrangements in place.
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