While the Coalition has been blinded by its obsession with the privatisation of Telstra, Labor has focused on developing an information and communications technology vision to give Australia the edge in a global economy, the Shadow Minister for Information Technology, Senator Kate Lundy said today.
In a keynote address at the “Future ISP” conference in Sydney, Senator Lundy was critical of the Coalition’s obsession with selling Telstra, which has stunted Australia’s response to the information revolution.
“The privatisation agenda has for seven years been all-encompassing,” Senator Lundy said.
“There was no real consideration of the information revolution that was taking place, or where the opportunities lay for Australia. To this day, the array of ad-hoc programs and grant schemes are still driven by the need to create the pre-conditions to sell off more of Telstra.
“Eight years since the commercialisation of the internet, the dotcom boom has come and gone, and the big debate in Australia is still the privatisation of Telstra.”
Senator Lundy concentrated on the policy mechanisms that a future Labor Government would use to drive the Australia’s economy, raising convergence, connectivity, broadband demand, competition and the creation of compelling digital content as key issues.
Senator Lundy concluded her speech by mentioning an important ingredient that the Coalition has been lacking – leadership.
“Labor understands how crucial strong leadership from the executive government is,” Senator Lundy said.
“This leadership needs to go beyond having a good idea. It requires facilitation of strong partnerships between business and government, and ensuring that the vision is shared among all stakeholders. It must be a collective goal.
“Labor believes that Australia can and should lead the world in communications excellence. We want Australia to be a place where there is excitement and inspiration as well as innovation and progress. We look forward to working with you to achieve this.”
Contact: Simon Tatz – (02) 6277 3334 or the Electorate Office – 0418 488 295.
