Page 3377 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 23 September 2015
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The government has also been active in service reform and my government, Access Canberra and iConnect are major initiatives helping us build a digital by default government—my government gives Canberrans the ability to engage directly with their local MLAs and on 31 August 2015 the ACT government’s twitter cabinet was broadcast live on the new Periscope platform, a world first.
Access Canberra is using technology to reduce red tape by increasing the provision of online services including payment of rates bills, licence renewals and a variety of government transactions. The ACT government’s digital Canberra challenge engages ACT innovators and SMEs to develop digital solutions for ACT government agency service challenges and is aimed at improving delivery of government services and programs to the community.
I am looking forward to watching the further rollout of our CBR free public wi-fi when it comes to our town centres including Gungahlin. CBR free is an important part of the ACT government’s commitment to Canberra’s future as a smart and digital city and is about ensuring everyone is able to share in the benefits that come with technology in a way that is free and accessible to all.
Regrettably the national rollout of the NBN has slowed considerably under the coalition government and in the ACT it has virtually stalled. The last NBN rollout update for the ACT was in December 2014, which detailed construction activity to June 2016. The last two media announcements by NBN during this year have been silent on any further ACT rollout. Chief Minister’s talkback on 666 ABC radio regularly receives inquiries from members of the public asking when the NBN will come to their suburb.
The success of the Gungahlin rollout addressed the poor quality telecommunications infrastructure in that population centre yet there remain pockets of low capability. Other Canberra suburbs simply do not even have ADSL quality infrastructure—areas such as Gleneagles estate, Monash and, as I mentioned earlier, Theodore. The Beard industrial estate was established with no telecommunications infrastructure and no immediate indication from NBN when such deployment may occur.
Earlier this month a Canberra Times article highlighted the inadequacy of the service in Casey, one of our newest suburbs. For the residents and businesses in these locations the rollout of the NBN is critical. No other telecommunications provider will make the investment to address their internet access and for them the delays are beyond frustrating. This basic lack of infrastructure prevents these areas taking full advantage of the capabilities of modern digital telecommunications, whether it be the ability to work from home, study from home or simply watch high definition digital television. I congratulate Labor’s federal members, Andrew Leigh for his advocacy for the Canberra’s north side and particularly Gai Brodtmann for her advocacy for Canberra’s south side to get better broadband services, and I encourage all southsiders to sign Gai’s petition to access the NBN.
Canberra is a city that embraces new technology and is a city that will thrive in the digital e-commerce space. It plays to our strengths: smart, connected, and forward
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