House of Representatives Committees

| House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications

Note: This page contains links to PDF files. For more information, see the web page on Accessing files.

Broadening the debate

August 2011

View the report as a single document - (PDF 3418KB)

View the report as separate downloadable parts:


Preliminary Pages	(PDF 129KB)

Chapter 1 Introduction	(PDF 66KB)
Scope and conduct of the inquiry Structure of the report
Chapter 2 Government services	(PDF 170KB)
Current services Services under development and future services Efficiency in service delivery Efficiency in government operations Gov 2.0 Committee conclusions
Chapter 3 Health - Improved service in regional areas	(PDF 195KB)
Why is e-health important? Tele-health applications Remote consultations, diagnostics and treatment Electronic storage and transmission of medical data In-home monitoring Rehabilitation and preventative health Aged Care Mental health Health professional in regional areas E-health records Medical education Government leadership Committee conclusions
Chapter 4 Education	(PDF 209KB)
Enhanced classroom-based education More educational institutions connected Richer online resources available Remote linkage to experts and institutions Sharing and interacting with other schools and campuses Access to more curriculum options Increasing student and teacher retention in rural areas Enhanced education outside the classroom The benefit of ubiquity Richer, more interactive online educational services Education at home Education in the workplace Education in the community A more efficient education system Committee conclusions
Chapter 5 Infrastructure and the environment	(PDF 168KB)
Reducing energy use and carbon emissions Direct energy savings through more efficient networks Supporting green data centres and consolidated ICT provision Reducing the costs of travel Smart grids to reduce energy waste Managing infrastructure using sensor networks Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)—reducing traffic congestion Smart infrastructure to manage assets and water resources Agricultural applications Environmental monitoring applications More accessible spatial data, satellite and aerial observation services Committee Conclusions
Chapter 6 Economic development and diversification	(PDF 217KB)
Improving business efficiency Video-conferencing Tele-working Cloud computing VOIP Supporting business growth Opportunities for high technology industries Home-based businesses Australia’s geographic advantage NBN impacts for regional development Constraints on business by current service Regional service hubs Attracting and growing businesses Economic diversification Exporting to other markets Supporting tourism Supporting agriculture Committee conclusions
Chapter 7 Research and innovation	(PDF 175KB)
ICT investment, innovation, R&D and productivity improvement Attracting foreign ICT investment in Australia Research in more locations and improved collaboration Research in remote locations Research collaboration Increased public engagement in science Promoting application development Committee conclusions
Chapter 8 Community and social - Enabling new methods of community interaction	(PDF 211KB)
Improving social inclusion and interaction Australians in rural and remote areas Indigenous Australians Older Australians Australians with disabilities Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds New entertainment possibilities Better access to arts and culture Better access to information and digital media Crime and safety considerations Committee conclusions
Chapter 9 Network capacity and technology	(PDF 169KB)
Speed Drivers of demand for speed Scalable and future-proof technology Other broadband technologies Beyond the NBN fibre footprint International backhaul capacity Symmetry Ubiquity Reliability National wholesale arrangements Committee conclusions
Chapter 10 Government coordination	(PDF 130KB)
A national digital economy strategy Leading by example Regional development

Chapter 11 Encouraging uptake and developing skills	(PDF 218KB)
Promoting ubiquitous connectivity Opt-in or opt-out? Engaging with consumers Assisting disadvantaged groups Outside the fibre footprint Applications and content Skills development Digital Literacy Professional ICT skills development
Dissenting report—Mr Paul Neville MP, Mr Paul Fletcher MP, Mrs Jane Prentice MP	(PDF 422KB)

Appendix A – Background	(PDF 641KB)

Appendix B – Glossary of Terms	(PDF 120KB)

Appendix C – Submissions	(PDF 42KB)

Appendix D – Exhibits	(PDF 63KB)

Appendix E – Public hearings	(PDF 73KB)

Additional Correspondence Relating to Dissenting Report	(PDF 230KB)