Ms BADGER – Minister, as you would be aware, the federal government is currently being encouraged to review their connectivity guarantee, which is currently through Telstra, and based on landlines, for those who remember what they are. What are you doing to encourage that review, specifically for Tasmania? We know that we also currently have the Black Spot program and the independent investigation that went into that. It is a serious problem in Tasmania – so, what steps have you been taking with the federal government?
Ms OGILVIE – Yes, we have a program around that. I will actually ask Dr Thurley – sorry, wrong way, Ms Cairney – to talk about the Black Spot program in particular and, sorry, the first piece of it was?
Ms BADGER – I after what are you doing working with the federal government. I understand Tasmania’s program.
Ms CAIRNEY – Sorry, so specifically on the current federal program, I do not have any information on that to hand.
Ms BADGER – Are you working with them on the improvements? That is the question
Ms CAIRNEY – I would need to check that with the rest of the team.
Ms BADGER – So, we do not know if we are working with the federal government?
Ms OGILVIE – The answer is yes, we do work with the federal government. The question is at which layer. So, as a minister, of course, at the digital data minister’s meeting –
Ms BADGER – I will just reiterate on the review of the connection guarantee.
Ms OGILVIE – We will be able to table something for you. Dr Thurley is looking at that now.
Ms BADGER – Thank you, I appreciate that, and my second question is: there have been quite a few local governments that are concerned with the lack of land-based fibre rollout that have been proposing to me, as a new member of parliament – so, I would hope also to you, as the new minister – to run conduit under new roads so that we are prepared. It is a very straightforward way to do it, we are seeing a lot of new works being done. What are you doing to work with State Growth or the Infrastructure minister to see that that happens and that we have the infrastructure in place?
Ms OGILVIE – Yes, thank you. That is a question for the Infrastructure minister about conduit and pit and pipe work.
Ms BADGER – Sorry, I am asking what are you doing to advocate for it as minister.
Ms OGILVIE – Fortunately, I have a close working relationship with the minister. It is not always as simple as saying we need to run more conduit, do more pit and pipe. Telstra owns the pit and pipe network basically in Tasmania. They licence that so you are able to access that, for good reasons. There is some complexity, I believe, around other cable networks that we own that are subterrestrial, but some of the most interesting and important work that we have been doing is around telecommunications fibre that is aerial. So, I guess, in taking that conversation up, I would be somewhat agnostic to the method by which the fibre connectivity is delivered, recognising that aerial fibre is probably a lot cheaper to deliver to households. Then we have NBN networks and others as well. I appreciate your question about new roads and putting conduit in, I just don’t have the answer to what their current program of work is. If it makes sense to do it in a telco context, we’re very happy to take that up.
Ms CAIRNEY – The team has just let us know – I just wanted to confirm and put on Hansard – that the department is engaged with the federal government in relation to the regional digital infrastructure programs and that’s an officer level within the department.
Ms OGILVIE – And that feeds into the Regional Connectivity Ministers’ Roundtable that I sit at at that ministerial level.
