If the opinion polls prove accurate, shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland will be in government within a month. She released her NBN policy at CommsDay Summit in Sydney two weeks ago, with a regional communications policy still to come. The former telecommunications lawyer at Gilbert & Tobin is highly respected in the sector and took time out from a busy campaign to answer questions from CommsDay founder Grahame Lynch on her agenda should Labor win office and her approach to an array of telecom issues.

LYNCH: Your NBN policy promises a sweeping review and also some very focused remedial action in areas such in-home wiring and small business service guarantees. It seems to have been well received everywhere except the Whirlpool fibre advocate crowd. Are you happy with the response and what do you have to say to those who wanted an immediate commitment to full fibre?

ROWLAND: What makes the NBN unique, in policy terms, is you cannot costlessly unscramble the mistake that is the multi-technology mix.

In 2013 our policy was to take fibre to 93 per cent of households. In 2016, that was reduced to 39 per cent. Come mid-2019, if Labor is elected, the remainder of the rollout will effectively be in construction.

As an Opposition our job is to examine the situation for what it is, and propose the best path forward.

The predominant feedback I have received from the public is they appreciate our honesty and understand there is no quick fix.

More than anything else they expect us to have a plan to make the NBN better – and unlike the government we actually have one. We have designed a responsible and well considered policy for the circumstances.

LYNCH: If you are elected, how quickly might we expect the planned review and is there any intention to pause NBN’s activities pending its outcome?

ROWLAND: I expect the review will commence fairly quickly, however, there is no intention to pause the rollout. We do not want to repeat the mistakes of the Coalition by pausing rollouts, rushing reviews and receiving poor quality advice.

The 2013 NBN Strategic Review was, and remains, an embarrassment. If elected, we will take the necessary time to ensure we are satisfied that we have good advice, and understand the costs and trade-offs of various options.

This won’t be a review for its own sake – it will be to inform direction.

LYNCH: You have highlighted a specific concern with SME experiences on the NBN. Is that a particular issue that came up in your NBN community forums last year?

ROWLAND: Yes, it has been a significant issue across the country and this is why small business experience is high priority for Labor. One of the key problems is that retail providers and NBNCo are not sufficiently responsive in escalating responses for small business faults.

It is simply unacceptable how long some faults continue without appropriate action by the responsible party, and in these instances, excessive downtime is not only stressful but also very costly.

If elected, Labor will be implementing the NBN Service Guarantee to offer stronger wholesale safeguards, and we will also be looking to strengthen data collection to inform other judgements in this area.

LYNCH: On other topics, there was quite a backlog of legislation from the last parliament, specifically the spectrum act. How much is this a priority for the next parliament?

ROWLAND: The Liberal Government has wasted years on piecemeal tinkering while the genuine reform agenda has piled up. We’re stuck debating yesterday’s policy problems as new issues demand focus.

Concluding processes that are underway but stalled is a priority for Labor in the communications portfolio, and may require some work to be rephased.

I would take advice from Government agencies, industry and consumer groups on how best to progress the reform agenda, in the immediate, medium and longer-term, building on work done to date.

LYNCH: We hear a lot about NBN but not so much around 5G. What is Labor’s vision for 5G and how would you approach it in office?

ROWLAND: Australia leads the world on mobile network speeds and smart phone adoption, and we’ll be among the first to commercially deploy 5G networks, but we’re falling behind in preparing the regulatory & stakeholder environment for the densification of the network necessary to deliver the transformational benefits 5G promises.  

5G is a nation-building proposition and we need a shared vision to coordinate and drive change if we are to retain our world-leading position. Labor’s 5G vision will be values-based, strategic and long-term and provide leadership to guide change across all portfolios and levels of government, but the approach on the ground must be immediate and practical.

The review of the 5G Working Group provides the opportunity for a reset and I’m keen for a dialogue on what tangible measures are helping advance 5G deployment in other jurisdictions as they forge ahead. There’s a bad joke about being smart about being dense in here, but I’m not going to make it.

LYNCH: And a related question, the government has sunk a lot of money into blackspots. How would Labor approach the same issue and what might you do differently?

ROWLAND: Labor will be outlining its regional communications policy in the near future.

LYNCH: Finally there has been a lot of talk about a communications roadmap and fixing “broken concepts” in communications regulation. How important a priority is that for you?

ROWLAND: Many overseas governments provide roadmaps and many of our domestic agencies are required to publish work plans. I think a roadmap is a useful way to provide transparency around the work of government, to inform policy development and to help create a shared vision for a sector undergoing rapid transformation.  

A number of stalled reform processes under this government have suffered from a lack of understanding around strategic direction and priorities, and that’s for processes involving the usual groups of stakeholders, let alone the new range of players we need to engage with on 5G.

The communications portfolio is too important and too valuable to be left with broken concepts and no clear vision, agenda and roadmap.

EDITORS NOTE: Communications minister Mitch Fifield has also been asked to conduct an interview with CommsDay and has indicated this should take place in the next few days.