The Coalition’s establishment of the Broadband Advisory Group and the ICT Framework for the Future steering committee represents an admission that the Howard Government is out of ideas and has nowhere to go, the Shadow Minister for Information Technology, Senator Kate Lundy, said today.
Senator Alston yesterday announced the make-up of the Broadband Advisory Group, which is to advise “..the Government on broadband development in Australia”, and the ICT Framework for the Future steering committee, which is tasked with advising “Senator Alston on broader consultation to ensure all views are taken into account in the development of the Framework.”
During the last election, the Coalition incorrectly criticised Labor’s Knowledge Nation report for “merely committing Labor to yet more summits, reviews and committees” – yet this is exactly what Senator Alston just announced.
“Labor’s initiative sought to fix the problems caused by the Coalition’s neglect,” Senator Lundy said, “However, this initiative will only set our current problems in concrete.
“While Labor welcomes, at last, the prospect of some informed opinion in Senator Alston’s ear, one wonders how an expert panel can be expected to make up for six years of ineptitude from an IT Minister who continues to demonstrate a lack of understanding of information technology issues.
“Despite the great potential of Australia’s local ICT sector our ICT deficit is so large that it consumes all of our export earnings for wheat, wool, iron ore, and aluminium, and Australians continue to be left without reliable access to broadband technologies.
“Senator Alston is just throwing up his hands and saying ‘somebody tell me what to do’,” Senator Lundy said.
Media contact: Simon Tatz on 02 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295
