Speech - CommsDay Summit, Fullerton Hotel, Sydney

Thank you, Tim, for the kind introduction and for inviting me to speak at CommsDay; it is a great privilege to do so as Communications Minister.

Graham, thank you for bringing us together in a gathering bigger and better than ever. To Paul for your sponsorship – too many distinguished industry leaders to name, Government and sector representatives, as well as my colleague, David Coleman MP.

Acknowledgement of country

I begin by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation - the traditional owners of the lands we are meeting on.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any First Nations people who may be joining us tonight.

Later this year, Australians will be asked to make their own decision about whether we enshrine a Voice to Parliament in the Constitution.



I am proud to be a member of a Government committed to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, and I know there are many in this room who have already publicly stated their support for this important step in bringing all Australians together.

On this point, I also make the observation that – in my view - for too long, First Nations digital inclusion has largely been seen as an ‘add on’, rather than central to everything that Governments and industry do.

Work being progressed by the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group – expertly chaired by the experienced and formidable Dot West OAM – is helping to reverse that trend.

I acknowledge the willingness of many of you here today to engage not just constructively but enthusiastically with the Group in recent months as part of its focus to narrow the digital inclusion gap in communities right around Australia.

Introduction

We are fast-approaching one year since the Albanese Government was elected on a platform to Build a Better Future for All.

Over 2023, my focus in the communications portfolio has been on strengthening democracy, boosting regional connectivity, improving safety, minimising harms, and continuing to deliver on our election promises.

Tonight, I want to focus on the theme of improving safety, as the Communications sector continues to play an increasingly fundamental role in this regard.

The Albanese Government is committed to improving the security of Australians — whether that be economic security, national security, cybersecurity, or public safety outcomes through emergency management.

As a responsible, mature and serious government – this is one of our most important responsibilities.

It’s no secret the internet, and the interconnectedness of systems and people, is creating new vectors for harms.

We see this too often in terms of mis and disinformation, online cyber abuse, cyber-attacks and scams.

Our changing climate is also posing increasing challenges for the availability of communications and power networks.

However, the internet also provides us with new opportunities to enhance the capability of government and industry to collaborate, to better protect communities, and provide information and assistance during emergencies.

A key component of delivering that better future is improving the safety of Australians, and the agencies and volunteers who keep them safe.

This means practical progress and improvements, some that are long overdue, that will have an impact when they matter the most.

That’s why tonight I want to address some of the upcoming features of the Federal Budget to support safer communities and our priorities that relate to communications networks.

Improving the safety of Australians

National Messaging System and Public Safety Mobile Broadband

Firstly, our commitment to deliver a modern and fit-for-purpose emergency warning system for Australians, which will be of particular benefit to regional and remote communities.

We need better capability to quickly disseminate information during crises, and support our heroic first responders as they do their important work.

This is something that the Minister for Emergency Management, Senator the Hon Murray Watt, and I consider to be a key priority.

That’s why in next week’s Federal Budget the Albanese Government will fund the delivery of a Cell Broadcast National Messaging System (or “NMS”).

The solution will be based on cell broadcast technology.

This is a standardised point-to-area communication which sends a prioritised message from mobile towers to all hand-held devices in a specified geographic area.

Cell broadcast is also geo-specific and scalable, enabling smartphones to be reached locally, regionally, or across the nation.

It is a proven technology where Australia has unfortunately been left behind in the game, given that it is already used in 21 nations around the world, and offers many benefits above the current complex legacy SMS-based system.

And it's important that I acknowledge the vital role that Communications Alliance, their emergency services working group, and industry members, played in initially setting out the benefits and possibilities of a cell broadcast system.

Delivering this step change in capability will enable Australians to receive emergency messages on their mobile devices, based on their physical location.

Importantly, this means that cumbersome lists of mobile phone numbers and associated personal information are not required to be collected or used in order to receive messages. Emergency alerts will be differentiated and highly trustworthy.

Moreover, this technology will enable large volumes of messages to be sent in near real time, without contributing to or being affected by network congestion, and doesn’t rely on a single telco, so has natural redundancy and resilience.

Instead, the National Messaging System will provide targeted, real-time alerts to the people who need to get the message – whether it’s a message that needs to reach the entire country during a pandemic, or a small community in regional Australia at risk of flood, cyclone or fire.

The Government’s commitments will go beyond improving communications to citizens, but also supporting our emergency responders.

That is why I was pleased to announce this morning that next week’s Budget will make a $10.1 million commitment over two years to take forward the key recommendations of the independent Review of Public Safety Mobile Broadband (also known as “PSMB”).

It is surprising and concerning that Australia’s public safety agencies currently rely upon what are essentially separate narrowband radio networks utilising decades-old legacy technology. 

“PSMB” refers to a prioritised mobile broadband service for emergency services to use, that also enables first responders to make better use of internet-based technologies and applications to access video, images, location tracking and other data.

This will enhance the operational preparedness, effectiveness and coordination of emergency services personnel, increasing their safety and that of their communities, including in regional areas which tend to bear the brunt of increasing natural disasters.

Recommendation 6.4 of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements that followed the devastating 2019-20 bushfires was that Australian, state and territory governments should expedite the delivery of a PSMB capability.

Yet earlier attempts have been hampered by a lack of leadership, resourcing and a fragmented approach across different jurisdictions.

The Final Review Report was shared with states and territories and has now been publicly released.

We will begin the implementation of the Review’s recommendations by establishing for the first time a central Commonwealth taskforce to bring together all the states and territories, and to work closely with industry to take a cohesive approach to delivering PSMB capability across the country.

I thank Andrew Smith for his independent review as it has laid out a clear roadmap, commencing with the establishment of a centralised body to bring together the states and territories under Commonwealth leadership to finally progress a national PSMB.

I also note the key role the states and territories have played over recent years including successful completion of a Proof of Concept led by the NSW Telecommunications Authority. This confirmed the technical capabilities of a multi-carrier solution utilising prioritised capacity on multiple commercial mobile networks. This is the primary path that the Task Force will be focused on.

We are under no illusion that developing this capability is complex, but it’s vitally important that we get it done and we get it right.

Improving the resilience of telecommunications networks

Part of supporting the industry to keep Australians safe includes thinking about big, bold and innovative solutions to complex communications issues.

That’s particularly true when it comes to resilience measures.

For example, I was very pleased to recently endorse – along with the Deputy Prime Minister – an innovative trial being undertaken by NBN Co in the Geelong region.

Power outages are a persistent problem for communications networks during natural disasters. It’s a cause of great frustration and concern for communities often affected by disasters, and one that can literally mean the difference between life and death.

That’s why NBN Co is trialling the use of wind technology to prolong the battery life of the Hybrid Power Cubes it deploys during natural disasters to keep the network up and running.

The three-month trial at Lovely Banks will inform future considerations around how we deploy and maintain temporary network infrastructure.

Our Government recognises that the safety of Australians is a joint mission.

That’s why we’ve committed $50 million to the Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation grant program, and $15 million to the next round of the Mobile Network Hardening Program.

These programs will fund technological innovations improve the power resilience of telecommunications, addresses other resilience challenges like improving coverage of temporary infrastructure, and support the hardening of sites to keep communications networks operational when needed most.

Draft guidelines for the Mobile Network Hardening Program are already out for consultation and the TDRI draft guidelines will be released shortly.

I strongly encourage you to share your expertise so we can guarantee these programs deliver valuable investments that keep Australians safe. 



Communications resilience is not just about terrestrial powers – it is also about broadcasting.

We’re also delivering the Broadcasting Resilience Program (BRP), to help Australians get trusted, timely information during emergencies. 

The BRP will provide $20 million in funding to improve the resilience of ABC sites used for emergency broadcasting which are at a higher risk of service failure due to natural disasters. 

The upgrades will also benefit other service providers including commercial and community broadcasters, and local emergency services.

Another important element of this Government’s work is the establishment of the LEO Satellite Working Group, and resilience and redundancy are key areas of focus for the Group.

It now also appears increasingly clear that Direct to Handset communication, at least for voice and messaging, is likely to be a reality sooner rather than later. Multiple international trials have been announced and some have already been implemented.

Of the initial use cases, this potentially offers transformational benefits for safety and security especially in areas where terrestrial mobile networks are unlikely to be deployed in the foreseeable future.

I established the working group in order to identify any barriers which might need to be lowered to facilitate the acceleration of LEO services in Australia.

I thank industry and agencies for their enthusiasm and participation in the working group. This is a key initiative which ensures that Australia is well-positioned to take a forward-looking approach, one which looks more actively at innovative solutions which have significant potential across a wide variety of areas of the portfolio.

In many ways Australia is starting to push ahead of the curve with the ACMA substantially reducing pricing for apparatus licences above 5 GHz, and Australia’s spectrum is generally allocated in helpfully large blocks of substantial regional areas or national licences which are better suited than the fragmented US regional licensing system.

The Government will take a measured approach which assesses sovereignty and other considerations, but I will accelerate efforts ensure that Australia is able to capture the important benefits which are likely to accrue from LEOSats.

 

Stepping up the fight against scammers

I now wish to turn to scams.

Keeping Australians safe also extends to guarding their financial interests and wellbeing.



The reality is that Australians remain the target of sophisticated scammers who seek to fleece honest and hardworking people of their money.

The unfortunate reality is that they’re succeeding, and in horrifying numbers.

In 2022 alone, the ACCC estimates that Australians lost around $3.1 billion to scams.

We suspect the figure is actually considerably higher, given the number of people who through shame or embarrassment, don’t actually report when they’ve fallen victim to these criminals.

And we know that the consequence of scams isn’t just financial loss. This criminal deception has a human toll, impacting the dignity and mental wellbeing of Australians.

Considerable work has been done by the industry to shore up our defences, and for that, I thank you for working so constructively with the Federal Government and the ACMA.

The new rules implemented in July 2022 are having a marked impact on the number of scam texts making it through to Australian consumers.

In the July to December 2022 reporting period, some 90 million scam texts never made it to their intended victim.

Almost half a billion scam calls have been blocked too.

So, I just want to pause here for a moment here and acknowledge the work of Communications Alliance and the telecommunications sector.

These are promising results, but there’s always more to do.

This is why the Government’s upcoming budget will contain funding to establish an SMS Sender ID Registry.

As I announced with the Assistant Treasurer just over a week ago, the Registry will block scammers from spoofing SMS messages into legitimate contact streams between well-known companies and government agencies.

Fundamentally, this is about preserving the integrity of the message header Australians often rely on to trust that a text message is safe.

We’ve seen this vulnerability exploited, with AusPost, myGov and Linkt three common examples most Australians would be familiar with.

The ACMA will receive $10 million over four years comprised of Budget funding and cost recovery through user and industry contributions.

The ACMA will be working closely with industry to get the Registry up and running, and I appreciate the positive feedback we’ve received from stakeholders so far.

I’m optimistic that by working together we can make significant progress on the Registry within 12 to 18 months, with milestones reached along the way.

While we recognise there’s no silver bullet, these measures will make a marked improvement in the financial and personal security of millions of Australians.

NBN Special Access Undertaking

The Government is working hard to deliver a better National Broadband Network – one that supports millions of Australians in our regions and suburbs — with access to faster, more reliable connectivity, no matter the technology.

We’re investing $2.4 billion to expand the full-fibre network to an additional 1.5 million premises, including over 660,000 in the regions, to provide Australians with the option of accessing more reliable service, faster speeds and to set Australia up for the future.

This technology proposition has been strongly endorsed by the Australian people for over a decade, and more recently at the 2022 Federal election.

Furthermore, one of my first acts as Minister was to authorise $480 million to upgrade the speed, capacity and reach of the NBN Fixed Wireless network, which also boosts service for Skymuster Satellite users by enabling larger data allowances.

However, our focus has not just been on technology, but also on price and providing the industry with certainty. Improving the Special Access Undertaking (SAU) has been a priority for this Government, and for me as Minister, since Day 1.

The current SAU process started in 2021, but the proposal endorsed by the former Liberal-National Government would have allowed NBN price increases of up to three per cent plus inflation on some products.  

That former proposal, submitted by NBNCo, was underpinned by unrealistic revenue expectations, and a view to privatisation.

To any fair-minded Government, that was not an acceptable proposition.

That is why my fellow shareholder Minister, Katy Gallagher, and myself wrote to NBNCo and the ACCC in July 2022 to reset the regulatory process, create space for problem solving, and conveying our view that the SAU variation process was the most sensible and constructive path of securing an outcome that services the long-term interests of consumers.

The Australian Government acknowledges today’s draft decision by the ACCC on NBN Co’s revised SAU variation proposal lodged in November 2022, and thanks the regulator for its work to date.

The draft decision acknowledges NBN Co’s revised proposal has addressed many key concerns with the original proposal and provides guidance about outstanding matters.

NBN Co has stated its intention to lodge an amended proposal shortly, providing a pathway to new arrangements being settled.

The negotiations to date have been tough, but considerable progress has been made and we thank all parties including retail providers for their patience.

This progress simply would not have been possible under a Liberal-National Party consumed by their insecurities about the multi-technology mix and its associated cost blowouts, and preparing NBN Co for privatisation at the expense of consumers and industry.

I remain cautiously optimistic that NBNCo and the ACCC are on track to reach a pathway to acceptance so that the revised SAU can be secured this year and provide certainty to the industry and consumers.

Our priorities remain the long-term interests of Australian consumers which means affordable prices and a quality, reliable, resilient network.

Australians want a Government that is setting the country for a better future, and that is priority of the Prime Minister when it comes to the NBN.

What is abundantly clear under this Government is that the National Broadband Network will remain in public hands for the foreseeable future – a feature of our election policy and a point I stressed in the updated Statement of Expectations issued in December last year.

This enables NBNCo to improve the technology while keeping prices affordable.

Those that have now made the switch agree – like Chloe; a young mum living in Adelaide I met earlier this year. Chloe runs a social media consultancy from home.

She upgraded from copper to fibre because her livelihood depends on quality connectivity. Persistent drop outs and slow speeds were a serious problem.

But not anymore.

The opportunity that NBN affords to all Australians is a proud Labor legacy.

That’s what I want for so many more Australian families and entrepreneurs – a network that lifts them up, not holds them back.

Conclusion

On many fronts, the contrast between the Labor Government and the former Coalition government is clear.

The former Government created processes to give the appearance something was happening, when in fact their underlying intent was for very little, if anything, to happen at all.

We have seen this with the NBNCo Special Access Undertaking, Universal Service Obligation reform, Public Safety Mobile Broadband capability, and this list goes on and on.

This has generated significant wastage of time within industry and the public sector, and was stifling good public policy opportunities.

It is also disappointing that key communications initiatives were left unfunded by the former Coalition Government in the Budget, or simply ignored.

This cycle of uncertainty and short-termism is not a responsible way to govern, and clearly is not conducive to supporting the longer-term interests of consumers.

As a Government, Labor is seeking to change this approach.

Labor is affording the industry and the public with the respect of communicating what our priorities are and then supporting this with tangible action and responsible funding commitments.

Nearly 12 months ago at the very first Cabinet meeting of the new Government the Prime Minister generously gave us one piece of advice – don’t waste a day.

And we haven’t.

We are working every day to deliver on our promises.

And we are working every day to do our part to keep Australians safe.

Working together with industry leaders and stakeholders like you is what makes both of those things possible.



Ultimately, our motivation is to achieve an Australia that is better connected, safer, and more resilient – irrespective of your postcode or your means.

That’s a better future for all Australians.

I look forward to your continued contributions on this mission.

In closing, I take this opportunity to pay special tribute to the late Tim McPhail, who sadly passed just a fortnight ago.

I do so in a room of people, many of whom knew Tim well, and held him in the highest regard.

Tim was a true professional, a thoroughly decent human being, a heavy metal fan, and of course, a dedicated husband to Patricia and father to his two children.

And he made significant contributions to the communications sector.

As those of us in this room make our own contributions to the sector through the work we do, let us not forget to take a moment every now and then, to appreciate each other and the special people in our lives.

I want to acknowledge CommsDay for facilitating tributes to Tim, and for raising awareness about options to support his son, Ollie, and of course, the generosity of many in this room.

Thank you.