Committee Report - 5G in Australia

Mr GORMAN (Perth) (17:10): I'd like to start by thanking the secretariat of the Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts for their work on this report, The next gen future: Inquiry into the deployment, adoption and application of 5G in Australia, and thanking the chair and the deputy chair of the committee for their work. It was a good, collaborative exercise where we ventured to some interesting places. I didn't make it to the Gold Coast—a lovely place, and I was very sad to miss it—but I did make it to the Ericsson offices in Melbourne where, again, very quickly, the goggles were out and we all put on our favourite hi-tech fashion accessory. I would also like to thank the 537 people who submitted to this inquiry. It's fair to say that this topic of 5G technology raises very strong passions and the possibilities of this technology also really excites people. We held six public hearings and addressed time and time again the concerns that some people have about the health impacts of this technology. When it comes to health related issues, the science is incredibly clear. As we have just been through and continue to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and we have accepted the advice of science and health experts, we must maintain that discipline and accept the advice of science and health experts when it comes to the rollout of technology. So I'm very comfortable in saying that 5G technology is safe for our communities and for our country.

But that is not to say that we can't do more in terms of improving the way we communicate this, because, when people have anxieties about technologies being rolled out, those anxieties are real. I think this committee process was a good way to allow people to raise their concerns, but I'd also say to anyone who has lingering questions —because of some crazy Facebook meme they have seen—to read the first couple of chapters of this report. It condenses the science and the advice of the Australian government experts and scientific experts very well in saying how this technology is safe and how it can be rolled out safely across our country.

It is important that we have good mobile telecommunications services across this country. There are some 34 million mobile devices connected to mobile networks in Australia today, and that number is only going to increase. That is 1. 4 devices per person. And, as I look around this room, I notice that most people have multiple devices connected currently to probably 4G networks or wi-fi. But hopefully soon, as we address the challenges in this building of ageing infrastructure—which this report touches on—we will also have 5G rolled out in this building. Some 80 per cent of that mobile traffic occurs indoors, which, for this technology using smaller shorter waves, is a particular challenge. It requires more hardware but smaller hardware to be rolled out across our communities, and I have a great concern that that rollout may be patchy and may lead to a new digital divide. Some of the recommendations in this report address how you can ensure that you don't have such a digital divide in the future. We have seen the challenges of rolling out large-scale infrastructure projects in Australia. Indeed, I note that one day soon the NBN is due for practical completion. The reality is that the rollout of 5G technology will need to be much quicker than we have seen with the rollout of other such technologies.

I will address some of the specifics in the report. The first recommendation is about how we actually improve the process through which we auction spectrum. Those auctions are primarily done in the interests of the government, in terms of creating revenue, but one of the recommendations the committee has made is that it should also be about improving market competition for the benefit of consumers, because ultimately they are the users of that spectrum—both business consumers and individual consumers across our country. This goes to the member for Moncrieff's point about making sure this technology best delivers on expanding the range of job opportunities for people—the types of jobs that are available anywhere in Australia.

The second recommendation is something that I think is very worth the government taking fast action on, which is how to manage redundant infrastructure in Australia. Whenever you roll out new infrastructure, it obviously also means that there are pieces of infrastructure that become redundant. If you think about the infrastructure that people have campaigned against at times in their communities—people have the right to do that; I've never signed such a petition, but people have the right to campaign against such things—we will get to a point where people won't necessarily know whether the old mobile communications infrastructure in their communities is, in fact, still operating. Sometimes it's cheaper for telecommunications companies not to remove the infrastructure and just leave it there. Therefore, we've recommended there should be action taken to make sure that there are proper processes for managing redundant and/or ageing telecommunications equipment. Similarly, for new equipment, we should do more with co-location. We talk about co-location in a lot of other areas. There's no reason we can't do more when it comes to co-location of 5G infrastructure and infrastructure sharing.

One of the things that excites me most—and I'm sure it excites you, Deputy Speaker Rick Wilson—is the idea that the committee heard about from WA farmers: a large-scale trial within a farming region. I note that one of the most innovative farming regions in Australia is in your electorate, Deputy Speaker. Indeed, the WA farmers suggested that Esperance would be a good location for such a trial. I'm pleased that the committee has noted that recommendation. The other place that was suggested by WA farmers was Margaret River. The member speaking earlier said there are applications of this technology in the production of high-quality, high-value exportable products, such as wine. Indeed, if you were to roll out this technology in the Margaret River as an early-stage trial, coordinating with government and carriers, that could be a very good thing.

The other challenge we have, and we've seen this most recently with challenges in our supply chain for personal protective equipment, is that we are not immune from supply chain shocks when it comes to high-tech infrastructure in this country. Indeed, practically nothing we use to build these networks is made here in Australia. Recommendation 8 is for the government to investigate ways to look at encouraging manufacturers of some parts of this infrastructure here in Australia. That would be very welcomed. To roll out the technology wherever it is produced, we also need to make sure we invest in training. One of the committee's recommendations is that we should ensure that graduates are industry-ready and make sure that we talk to TAFE, universities and, indeed, to our high schools to make sure that there is enough training and enough apprenticeships to be able to roll this out. We've seen in the past that rolling out large-scale government infrastructure programs can be a challenge if there are not appropriately trained people. We know that this technology will have huge economic benefits for our country and, therefore, we should make sure that we line up with TAFE, vocational education and training institutions and the private sector to make sure we have the skills necessary.

We spoke to a range of local governments. There were some very interesting comments from them in terms of how they might deploy this. Since we did this inquiry, I've seen a smart bin. There is one in my electorate. There is a smart bin in Elizabeth Quay, in the electorate of Perth. I would never have noticed the smart bin if I had not done this inquiry. Local councils talked to us about smart bins and other things. However, we noted that there's a gap in knowledge in many levels of our community services and, in particular, in local government, so further education and increasing awareness of the benefits of 5G technology within local government would be of benefit.

The final point I'll make is that we need to make sure that the information that is provided by government departments on this technology is received by those who need to receive it and that they communicate through appropriate channels. That might be more through social media than through traditional media. I applaud the government's further investment in such communication efforts, but we've got to make sure we're constantly monitoring and evaluating that communication effort, because it is clear there is misinformation out there and, if not addressed through an effective government communication campaign, we will have failed to fully realise the benefits of this technology.