❓ Mr. Trenorden questions the Premier on conflicting statements regarding vote weighting and regional telecommunications. The Premier asserts no inconsistency, highlighting government efforts to improve regional connectivity.
AnsweredQoN 783Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TELECOMMUNICATIONS, VOTE WEIGHTING
I refer to the Minister for State Development’s press release of 8 March 2002 titled “Regional ‘Powerhouse’ neglected by Canberra: Minister” in which he calls for federal Government action to redress the current lack of quality telecommunications in regional Western Australia, and in which he states - . . . much of regional WA is operating without the communications facilities enjoyed by those living in large population centres. . . . The full benefits of the Internet are denied to many due to the cost and/or the speed of access. (1) Did the Minister for State Development raise concerns with the Premier when the Attorney General wrote to The West Australian on 17 July 2001 that modern communications meant there was no longer any justification for vote weighting in country areas? (2) Which minister’s statement does the Premier support: that of the Minister for State Development or that of the Attorney General? Dr GALLOP
I refer to the Minister for State Development’s press release of 8 March 2002 titled “Regional ‘Powerhouse’ neglected by Canberra: Minister” in which he calls for federal Government action to redress the current lack of quality telecommunications in regional Western Australia, and in which he states - . . . much of regional WA is operating without the communications facilities enjoyed by those living in large population centres. . . . The full benefits of the Internet are denied to many due to the cost and/or the speed of access. (1) Did the Minister for State Development raise concerns with the Premier when the Attorney General wrote to The West Australian on 17 July 2001 that modern communications meant there was no longer any justification for vote weighting in country areas? (2) Which minister’s statement does the Premier support: that of the Minister for State Development or that of the Attorney General? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) There is no inconsistency between those comments. The concept of malapportionment was devised in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which, in terms of telecommunications systems, are light-years away from Western Australia at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The question of telecommunications is very important for the Minister for State Development as his department has responsibility for that matter. Many federal issues are involved, which is why he is pressing the Commonwealth Government. We take the matter seriously, as is shown by the agreement signed by the Minister for Education and Telstra, which will ensure that all school students and teachers in Western Australia have the capacity to participate in the information superhighway. The new bandwidth will result in better communication across the education system. It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
. . . The full benefits of the Internet are denied to many due to the cost and/or the speed of access.
The full benefits of the Internet are denied to many due to the cost and/or the speed of access.
(2) Which minister’s statement does the Premier support: that of the Minister for State Development or that of the Attorney General? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) There is no inconsistency between those comments. The concept of malapportionment was devised in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which, in terms of telecommunications systems, are light-years away from Western Australia at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The question of telecommunications is very important for the Minister for State Development as his department has responsibility for that matter. Many federal issues are involved, which is why he is pressing the Commonwealth Government. We take the matter seriously, as is shown by the agreement signed by the Minister for Education and Telstra, which will ensure that all school students and teachers in Western Australia have the capacity to participate in the information superhighway. The new bandwidth will result in better communication across the education system. It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) There is no inconsistency between those comments. The concept of malapportionment was devised in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which, in terms of telecommunications systems, are light-years away from Western Australia at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The question of telecommunications is very important for the Minister for State Development as his department has responsibility for that matter. Many federal issues are involved, which is why he is pressing the Commonwealth Government. We take the matter seriously, as is shown by the agreement signed by the Minister for Education and Telstra, which will ensure that all school students and teachers in Western Australia have the capacity to participate in the information superhighway. The new bandwidth will result in better communication across the education system. It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
(1)-(2) There is no inconsistency between those comments. The concept of malapportionment was devised in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which, in terms of telecommunications systems, are light-years away from Western Australia at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The question of telecommunications is very important for the Minister for State Development as his department has responsibility for that matter. Many federal issues are involved, which is why he is pressing the Commonwealth Government. We take the matter seriously, as is shown by the agreement signed by the Minister for Education and Telstra, which will ensure that all school students and teachers in Western Australia have the capacity to participate in the information superhighway. The new bandwidth will result in better communication across the education system. It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
. . . The full benefits of the Internet are denied to many due to the cost and/or the speed of access.
The full benefits of the Internet are denied to many due to the cost and/or the speed of access.
(2) Which minister’s statement does the Premier support: that of the Minister for State Development or that of the Attorney General? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) There is no inconsistency between those comments. The concept of malapportionment was devised in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which, in terms of telecommunications systems, are light-years away from Western Australia at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The question of telecommunications is very important for the Minister for State Development as his department has responsibility for that matter. Many federal issues are involved, which is why he is pressing the Commonwealth Government. We take the matter seriously, as is shown by the agreement signed by the Minister for Education and Telstra, which will ensure that all school students and teachers in Western Australia have the capacity to participate in the information superhighway. The new bandwidth will result in better communication across the education system. It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) There is no inconsistency between those comments. The concept of malapportionment was devised in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which, in terms of telecommunications systems, are light-years away from Western Australia at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The question of telecommunications is very important for the Minister for State Development as his department has responsibility for that matter. Many federal issues are involved, which is why he is pressing the Commonwealth Government. We take the matter seriously, as is shown by the agreement signed by the Minister for Education and Telstra, which will ensure that all school students and teachers in Western Australia have the capacity to participate in the information superhighway. The new bandwidth will result in better communication across the education system. It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
(1)-(2) There is no inconsistency between those comments. The concept of malapportionment was devised in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which, in terms of telecommunications systems, are light-years away from Western Australia at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The question of telecommunications is very important for the Minister for State Development as his department has responsibility for that matter. Many federal issues are involved, which is why he is pressing the Commonwealth Government. We take the matter seriously, as is shown by the agreement signed by the Minister for Education and Telstra, which will ensure that all school students and teachers in Western Australia have the capacity to participate in the information superhighway. The new bandwidth will result in better communication across the education system. It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
It was a good try, but I do not think that the argument the Leader of the National Party is trying to mount that there is an inconsistency between the views of the Attorney General and the Minister for State Development hold up.
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