Inquiry into Australian Telecommunications Network

(b) the capacity of the Australian telecommunications network, including the public switched telephone network, to provide all Australians with reasonable, comparable and equitable access to broadband services;

Dear Sir/Madam

Relating particularly (b) (above) but also (a) of the terms of reference of this Inquiry, I wish to make the following comments.

I live in Queensland 15 minutes drive from the city of Ipswich, and 40 minutes from Brisbane. But I am still unable to get the broadband ADSL service where I live! This is totally unacceptable and obviously is a significant failure of Telstra in relation to the stated terms of reference of your enquiry. I have a web-based freelance home business and really need a broadband connection for this. I am convinced that if/when Telstra gets privatised they will not consider this a priority at all, as profits for their shareholders will be their main priority!

I am concerned that there is so much attention to the telcommunication needs of people who live further away from the main centres, while those of us who live closer in, but still semi-rurally, tend to be overlooked. Of course I believe that people in the bush should have good services. I just think that we all should.