FRAN BAILEY (2:52 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation. How is the government ensuring that all Australians get adequate standards of telecommunication services? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies in relation to this issue?

Mr McGAURAN (Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation) —I thank the member for McEwen for her question. I know that she is a vigorous fighter for communications infrastructure in her electorate. She, like all members on the government side and the rural and regional constituents we represent, will be very pleased at Telstra's announcement yesterday: $350 million new and additional investment in upgrading of rural telecommunications infrastructure, on top of $700 million earlier this year. Of course, it has been welcomed by our constituents, by the NFF. Interestingly, it will create 700 new jobs over the life of that three-year project. It is going to commence very shortly and will focus on those areas experiencing the poorest and the worst service.

What has been lost, I notice, in public commentary on this issue recently is the compulsion on Telstra to invest amounts of this size in the customer guarantee service, which this government introduced and which holds Telstra in a monetary sense to introducing new levels of service for rural and regional customers. This money is a direct response of the government's legislation, which we introduced—something that the opposition, when they were in government, failed to do, and, of course, they are now riding in on our coat tails.

I am also asked by the honourable member whether there are alternative policies—and I think we know the answer to that. There simply are not on the part of the ALP—and no wonder, when you look at the most profound, intensive interview profile on the Leader of the Opposition in a very long time, `The Accidental Leader', the man who does not read newspapers. If he is not going to read the major dailies of metropolitan Australia, he certainly is not going to read anything from regional Australia. He does not know what is happening in regional Australia. Why else would he claim that his secret weapons, his most powerful salesmen in regional and rural Australia, are the member for Hotham and the member for Batman, former ACTU chiefs? What he says is this:

Oh yeah, well let's test it. Why don't you go out and tell them—

Mr Price —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order under standing orders 145 and 142. How is the minister responsible for how Labor will win in the bush? What relevance does that have to the question that was asked?

Mr SPEAKER —The member for Chifley will resume his seat. The member for McEwen asked the Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation a question relative to rural Australia, and it was in that context that I deemed him relevant.

Mr McGAURAN —What are the alternative policies proposed by the ALP and others in regard to regional Australia? It is obviously to send out the former ACTU presidents to win over the bush. Mr Beazley is quoted in the article:

They made a speciality of putting them out of work, particularly in abattoirs. They remember you all right. So you go out, the new bobbsey twins, the new glimmer twins—

Opposition members interjecting—

Mr SPEAKER —The minister will come to the question.

Mr McGAURAN —And he does not read newspapers. Mr Speaker, you do not have to be a psychologist to know that this is a Leader of the Opposition in denial and he is taking everybody else with him. He does not know what is happening in regional Australia. So, to finish my point, when you go out as the bobbsey twins, take a couple of others: the member for Melbourne, secretary of the clerks union; the member for Brisbane, secretary of the teachers union—what a delegation that would be—and let us see the welcome you would get.