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Speaker 1: Darwin's first ever direct connection to the global network of

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Speaker 1: high capacity subseed telecommunication cables.

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Speaker 2: It was launched over the weekend.

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Speaker 1: The development means connectivity in Northern Australia is going to

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Speaker 1: be faster, more reliable and resilient and will hopefully mean

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Speaker 1: further opportunities for the Northern Territory. Now over the weekend

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Speaker 1: I caught up with the Federal Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, minister.

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Speaker 3: Oh, good morning, great to be here.

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Speaker 1: Now tell me a little bit more about this announcement

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Speaker 1: yesterday and what it means for territorians.

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Speaker 4: Well, this is the first time that Darwin is being

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Speaker 4: directly connected to a global system of submarine cables. And

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Speaker 4: these are the cables that carry data and voice. And

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Speaker 4: just to give you listeners a sense of proportion, ninety

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Speaker 4: eight percent of voice and data traffic around the world

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Speaker 4: is carried by these undersea cables. So for Darwin to

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Speaker 4: be having a direct connection thanks to the investment being

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Speaker 4: made by Vocus, a private sector company that's going to

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Speaker 4: need Darwin to port headline and then straight up to

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Speaker 4: Jakarta and Singapore, so won't have to go via Perth

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Speaker 4: or other routes, which is great news for the territory.

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Speaker 1: It seems pretty amazing, and I guess that plenty of

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Speaker 1: people listening are probably thinking, oh, how's the reliability going

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Speaker 1: to be.

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Speaker 2: But it's got to be reliable, doesn't.

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Speaker 3: It one hundred percent?

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Speaker 4: You notice when these cables are taken out by a

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Speaker 4: ship or some other natural disaster like undersea earthquakes for example,

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Speaker 4: and that cable gets cut. So this is so important

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Speaker 4: exactly as you say, for redundancy, which means if one

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Speaker 4: line goes down, we've got another line that's still capable

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Speaker 4: of working. And in the end it's going to mean

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Speaker 4: faster and more reliable Internet for the people of the

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Speaker 4: Northern Territory, but also open up a lot of investment

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Speaker 4: opportunities as well.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, talk me through that, because will it mean that

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Speaker 1: we've got capacity here in the Northern Territory now that

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Speaker 1: we could see, you know, data centers based here in

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 4: That's one of the big attractions of having a submarine

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Speaker 4: cable landing in a city that is on the water,

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Speaker 4: that has a reliable workforce, that has space. Because these

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Speaker 4: data centers they don't need much other than space. A

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Speaker 4: roof air conditioning, and as the Chief Minister said at

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Speaker 4: the launch, Darwin has all these things and that means jobs,

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Speaker 4: that means high tech investment, but it also means you've

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Speaker 4: got international companies looking at where that can locate their

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Speaker 4: data centers.

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Speaker 3: They can go.

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Speaker 4: Anywhere in the world, but choosing to go to somewhere

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Speaker 4: like Darwin, it ticks all the boxes for them. And

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Speaker 4: I'm very confident that with the right kinds of investment,

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Speaker 4: this could mean a really rare boon for the top end.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I hope so, and I guess that's always what

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Speaker 1: we're looking at in the territory, is that diversification of

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Speaker 1: the economy and that diversification in terms.

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Speaker 3: Of industry one hundred percent.

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Speaker 4: And I think for the first time having this direct

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Speaker 4: connection will be able to start thinking laterally about what

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Speaker 4: kind of opportunities these presents. But again you get international companies,

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Speaker 4: they're going where do I invest They need somewhere that's

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Speaker 4: got great connectivity and they also need to ensure that

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Speaker 4: it's reliable, and that's what this cable is going to achieve.

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Speaker 1: Minister, Can you talk us through the scope of this work,

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Speaker 1: because I guess for lots of people they're going to

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Speaker 1: be going Hang on a second. You know, a cable

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Speaker 1: that's going under the sea, how far is it going?

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Speaker 1: And you know, and is it really going to be

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Speaker 1: reliable exactly?

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Speaker 4: This is a one thousand kilometer spur and it's been

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Speaker 4: around ten years in the making. These are long term

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Speaker 4: investments that consortia make and they want to get a

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Speaker 4: long term return on their investment as well. So in

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Speaker 4: a nutshell, this has cost a lot of money over

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Speaker 4: a long period of time to lay. It's going to

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Speaker 4: need to be maintained as well. But in the end,

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Speaker 4: what it means for your listeners is the benefits that

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Speaker 4: that's going to end up bringing.

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Speaker 3: And that's a really powerful thing.

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Speaker 4: And again, just to give some sense of proportion, there

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Speaker 4: is more value in trade from these undersea cables carrying

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Speaker 4: financial transactions and data then there is of goods carried

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Speaker 4: by sea. So when you think about that, these are

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Speaker 4: the cables that are really where the money is at,

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Speaker 4: really where the opportunities are at, and Darwin's at the

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Speaker 4: center of that now, which is great.

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Speaker 1: And then in terms of that further opportunity, are there

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Speaker 1: talks underway yet or do you expect that there's going

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Speaker 1: to be talks underway in terms of further investment i e.

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Speaker 1: Those data centers.

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Speaker 4: Well, the Chief Minister was very upbeat about that over

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Speaker 4: the weekend, as was Minister our Kit and they actually

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Speaker 4: contributed some five million dollars towards some of their jobs.

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Speaker 3: Package to help make this happen.

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Speaker 4: So clearly there's an opportunity for co investment there that

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Speaker 4: ultimately benefits the economy of Darwin as a whole and

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Speaker 4: the population of the territory.

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Speaker 1: Minister, it's not the only thing you've been doing while

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Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory. While in Darwin, you've also

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Speaker 1: launched a plan to try and bridge the digital gap

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Speaker 1: for Indigenous Australians with stronger and more reliable telco services.

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Speaker 2: What exactly is the plan.

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Speaker 4: This is a digital Inclusion plan which is designed around

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Speaker 4: three key pillars and it's been formulated in consultation with

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Speaker 4: First Nations people and really provides a strategy for how

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Speaker 4: we close this gap.

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Speaker 3: This is about three things.

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Speaker 4: It's about accessibility, so actually having the infrastructure in place

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Speaker 4: so that people can utilize the digital economy, affordability. People

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Speaker 4: should be able to afford to use it if they

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Speaker 4: can't afford to use it, it's really no good to them.

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Speaker 4: And also having the ability so the skills that are

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Speaker 4: needed to make the most of it, and none of

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Speaker 4: those are the same depending on where you live or

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Speaker 4: what your background is. But what we are doing with

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Speaker 4: this Digital Inclusion Plan is we are saying not only

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Speaker 4: a whole of government approach is needed, because I mean,

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Speaker 4: I'm the Communications Minister, but we know that people utilize

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Speaker 4: government services. For example, the way that you interact with

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Speaker 4: government now is expected to be online, so if you

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Speaker 4: don't have that accessibility, you're really a disadvantage. We've got

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Speaker 4: some data that's come out only in the last few

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Speaker 4: days showing that the gap has unfortunately widened as between

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Speaker 4: First Nations and other restraints.

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Speaker 3: Part of my goal is to close that gap.

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Speaker 4: I have target seventeen in closing the gap, and that's

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Speaker 4: by twenty twenty six to have equal levels of digital

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Speaker 4: inclusion as between First Nations and non First Nations Australians.

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Speaker 3: I'm going to be upfront with you that is going

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Speaker 3: to be hard.

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Speaker 4: To meet because we haven't had a strategy in place

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Speaker 4: until now and we haven't had the proper data to

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Speaker 4: be able to measure it, measure it. That all changes

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Speaker 4: now because we've got both of those things.

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Speaker 1: Well in some of these places are so remote, you know,

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Speaker 1: like it's going to be difficult I would suspect to

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Speaker 1: actually get those services out there.

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Speaker 4: There certainly are, and there's over one thousand remote communities

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Speaker 4: that we're talking about, but that's not to say that

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Speaker 4: we're not up for this challenge. Irrespective of we live

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Speaker 4: in Australia, we know the benefits that come from being connected,

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Speaker 4: and people need to be connected in different ways. For

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Speaker 4: some people it's about having high speed internet high speed

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Speaker 4: internet as their first priority. In other communities it's about

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Speaker 4: having some free public Wi Fi for example.

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Speaker 3: So there's different needs and this is.

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Speaker 4: Really not only a whole of government but a whole

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Speaker 4: of industry issue as well. It's about partnerships with the sector,

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Speaker 4: partnerships with the territory government, with the Colnwolf government. And

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Speaker 4: by having this strategy in place, we can map what

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Speaker 4: we're doing right now and how we can best target

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Speaker 4: this to actually get practical results on the ground.

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Speaker 2: How much is it going to cost?

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Speaker 1: I guess that's going to be the difficult thing is

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Speaker 1: even when we're building housing out in some of those

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Speaker 1: remote communities and that kind of thing, the costs to

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Speaker 1: actually deliver those services can be the impediment.

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Speaker 3: Well, here's the thing.

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Speaker 4: There's a lot of really good initiatives that are happening

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Speaker 4: right now, including in my own portfolio. I've got some

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Speaker 4: thirty million dollars set asign for First Nations communities to

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Speaker 4: improve regional connectivity as well as mobile black spots.

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Speaker 3: But it's only really.

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Speaker 4: By partnering with the carriers and with the states and

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Speaker 4: territories to understand where their needs are that I can

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Speaker 4: ensure that money is spent most effectively. So I think

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Speaker 4: this is about bringing together all the different programs we

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Speaker 4: currently have making sure they are all going in one

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Speaker 4: direction to meet this strategy.

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Speaker 3: Otherwise we are not going to close this gap.

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Speaker 4: It is going to be a challenge to get there

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Speaker 4: by twenty twenty six, but we can make things better.

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Speaker 4: And I'm very confident that territorians understand that from all

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Speaker 4: walks of life, that this really is something. If we're

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Speaker 4: going to have people engaging in the digital economy, we

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Speaker 4: have to give them those opportunities.

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Speaker 2: Mines.

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Speaker 1: The some are going to be listening to this interview

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Speaker 1: thinking okay. Telecommunications are certainly tough in remote areas, but

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Speaker 1: even in places like Dundee, which is about one hundred

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Speaker 1: and thirteen kilometers up the road, they've got limited phone

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Speaker 1: connectivity and concerns on.

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Speaker 2: A very regular basis.

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Speaker 1: Just last week, they're in a situation where mobile phone

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Speaker 1: service outages spark concerns and frustration. We had residents out there,

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Speaker 1: visitors and business owners who were left in the lurch

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Speaker 1: for about three days after Telstra's mobile coverage went offline.

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Speaker 1: Now Telstra had to check out there and they were

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Speaker 1: trying to get that issue sorted. But unfortunately it's not

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Speaker 1: the first time that residents and tourists have raised those concerns.

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Speaker 1: Is their work happening to try to sort issues like

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Speaker 1: that one.

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Speaker 4: This is a really pertinent issue and it's one that

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Speaker 4: Minister our Kit raised with me herself since I've been

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Speaker 4: in Darwin.

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Speaker 3: We've got the infrastructure in place, but it's the outages.

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Speaker 3: It's the service levels and people expect.

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Speaker 4: They understand sometimes there's outages, but not for a prolonged

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Speaker 4: period of time where it becomes a systemic issue. So

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Speaker 4: I have been engaged, I'll continue to engage with Telstra

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Speaker 4: about making sure this isn't just about responding to outages,

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Speaker 4: it's about doing what we can to mitigate those outages

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Speaker 4: happening in the first place, and getting in there a

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Speaker 4: lot quicker. Again, just to give you a really practical example,

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Speaker 4: the other day, I was out with the.

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Speaker 3: NBN crew here in Darwin.

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Speaker 4: They've got a program of training new people to come in,

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Speaker 4: lots of first nations and lost, lots of females who

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Speaker 4: for the first time are working in this area, so

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Speaker 4: that they have an on the ground large team of

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Speaker 4: people who can go out and fix MB and faults quickly.

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Speaker 3: I think that is the key issue here.

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Speaker 4: You can have all the infrastructure you want, but if

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Speaker 4: you're not maintaining the network properly and making sure that

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Speaker 4: you get ahead of those outages. And as was said

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Speaker 4: to me by the Minister, we're in the dry season now,

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Speaker 4: it'll get worse when we're in the wet season to

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Speaker 4: be able to go in and fix those outages. So

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Speaker 4: I'll continue to engage very constructively with the carriers around that.

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Speaker 4: But I think there is a legitimate expectation from consumers

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Speaker 4: that if they're paying for service, they should be getting it.

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Speaker 1: And so it is obviously something that you've spoken to

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Speaker 1: our local minister here in the territory about. It is

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Speaker 1: something that's on the agenda because I know for the

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Speaker 1: residents of Dundee they just get so frustrated, but also

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Speaker 1: for those business owners out there trying to run a business.

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Speaker 1: It's a little tourist hub, a little fishing hub, and

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Speaker 1: you know, to not be able to utilize those services,

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Speaker 1: it makes it incredibly.

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Speaker 4: Difficult, absolutely, and it can often be a safety issue

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Speaker 4: as well being able to access telephony for emergencies. We've

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Speaker 4: also got programs in place to assist what we call

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Speaker 4: mobile network hardening to if it goes down in a

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Speaker 4: natural disaster. We can actually have technologies in place to

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Speaker 4: make the network last a bit longer. But I think

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Speaker 4: what you're talking about here with Dundee it does come

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Speaker 4: down to the business as usual, proper maintenance over network

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Speaker 4: and I'll continue to engage with Telstra. They have been responsive,

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Speaker 4: but it's that time frame as well, and it's the

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Speaker 4: regularity and systemic faults that are clearly an issue. I'll

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Speaker 4: work with the Minister and work with the carriers and

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Speaker 4: see if we can get some real improvements for those

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Speaker 4: good people.

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Speaker 2: Well, I reckon.

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Speaker 1: The people that listen to the show that live out

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Speaker 1: there will be pleased to hear that, Minister. Before I

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Speaker 1: let you go this morning, I understand you went to

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Speaker 1: park run over the weekend in Darwen. That's where I

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Speaker 1: usually am, but my legs are a bit tired. And

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Speaker 1: you took Luke Gosling. Remember for Solomon, you managed to

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Speaker 1: get him there as well.

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Speaker 4: I took Luke Gosling and he was a gentleman. He

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Speaker 4: ran with me the entire time. This was my first

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Speaker 4: Darwin park run, I must say seven o'clock in Darwin.

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Speaker 3: It was pretty warm, but managed to do it, didn't stop.

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Speaker 4: I got my time of thirty to eleven and came

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Speaker 4: I think twenty seventh in my age group. Luke Goslin

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Speaker 4: crossed the finish line at exactly the same time. But

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Speaker 4: I think the fact that he was sort of in

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Speaker 4: the star position on his back for quite some time,

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Speaker 4: whereas I was just very pleased to finish. But look

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Speaker 4: what a gentleman I reckon. He could have overtaken me,

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Speaker 4: but he did really well and such a great group

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Speaker 4: of people and a big high to all the park

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Speaker 4: runners out there.

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Speaker 2: I love park run.

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Speaker 1: I think it's such a wonderful event that happens every weekend,

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Speaker 1: so I think it's great that you guys were there. Minister,

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Speaker 1: thank you so much for your time this morning. Really

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Speaker 1: appreciate you coming in and having a chat to us

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Speaker 1: on the weekend of course.

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Speaker 2: On while you're here in Darwin.

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Speaker 1: So thank you, such a pleasure, Thanks so much. That

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Speaker 1: is the Minister for Communications here. The federal Minister for Communications,

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Speaker 1: Michelle Rowland,