Ms O'BYRNE (1:47 PM) —I would like to use this opportunity to tell the story of a small town's battle against privatisation—a battle that was long and where there were casualties, but where the rewards were particularly great. It was a battle against the often invisible enemy of privatisation.

Lilydale is a town that fought for years to get television services and, given that it is just 20 kilometres outside Launceston, it was not an unreasonable expectation. For years, the people campaigned for a tower, for a site and to overcome legal barriers to land use. Just when victory was in their sights, the federal government privatised the National Transmission Authority, leaving the community without any guarantee of finishing the job. Through their hard work, we were able to convince the government to fund the project, and since then we have addressed planning issues and endured wet weather that delayed the process. However, last week the community won and got access to television for the first time. It is a great victory for that community and they deserve full congratulations. It is a great victory and a great example of a small town winning the battle over privatisation.