Mr St CLAIR —My question is to the Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation. Will the minister inform the House of how the coalition is expanding the range of communications services to regional Australia? How will the $1 billion social bonus from the further sale of Telstra build on the tremendous progress made by the $1.4 billion from the sale of the first tranche? Is the minister aware of any alternate policy proposals? What would be the impact if these were implemented?

Mr McGAURAN (Arts and the Centenary of Federation) —I thank the honourable member for his question and his tireless efforts on behalf of his electorate to pursue this issue of extending telecommunications infrastructure. There are indeed very significant benefits for rural and regional Australia arising from the sale of Telstra, which the Labor Party opposes. The Labor Party opposed the $1 billion from the sale of the first tranche of Telstra for the Natural Heritage Trust Fund. That meant that they opposed the $250 million from the first tranche sale of Telstra for networking Australia—the regional telecommunications infrastructure fund. That means that, from the second tranche of the sale, they also oppose the $250 million extra for Networking the Nation, which builds the basic and necessary infrastructure for telecommunications in rural and regional Australia. It means that, from the second tranche of the sale of Telstra, the Labor Party opposes $150 million provided for untimed local calls in remote Australia, $150 million to extend SBS and to eradicate television black spots, $36 million to provide local Internet points of presence, $20 million to improve telecommunications to remote island communities, $70 million to build additional rural networks, $45 million for local government projects, $28 million to extend mobile phone coverage along major highways and $70 million to establish rural transaction centres.

So there is no doubt at all that the 49.9 per cent sale of Telstra has materially benefited rural and regional Australia, all of which were opposed by the Labor Party. Indeed, the member for Fraser recently reiterated Labor's long-term opposition to the highly successful regional telecommunications infrastructure fund. So where would you find that more than $1.5 billion that we have spent directly on rural and regional Australia?

During the last election campaign, Labor vowed to freeze Networking the Nation and spend the rest of the money—redirect it into general expenditure. In summary, Networking the Nation is an essential program for rural communities. It provides those concrete benefits. The coalition will continue it. The Labor Party will oppose it and abolish it and put nothing in its place.