AMTA has taken the opportunity this week to discuss a range of key policy issues with senior Rudd government Ministers at the ALP National Conference in Sydney.

AMTA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Althaus, is a business observer at the conference and has met with Ministers, including: the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy; the Minister for Small Business, Deregulation, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs, Dr Craig Emerson; Industry Minister Kim Carr; Resources and Energy Minister Martin Fergusson and Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner.

“With key decisions looming on the allocation of radiofrequency spectrum, the Conference has provided a good opportunity to continue making key Government Ministers aware of the critical importance of these decisions and their implications for enhancing productivity within Australia's economy,” he said.

“The Conference has heard from the Prime Minister and others on the challenges our nation faces in the coming years – working our way out of the economic downturn, pushing ahead with key national reforms and making our nation more productive.

“The quantity and quality of infrastructure are key nation building success factors. Radiofrequency spectrum is a critical enabling infrastructure for the deployment of mobile telecommunications services including mobile broadband.

“The Conference has allowed AMTA to explain how spectrum is vital infrastructure for Australia and a major vehicle for enhancing our economic recovery.

“If roads and railways were the infrastructure of the 1930s during the Great Depression then spectrum, and the mobile telecommunications technologies it carries are the wellspring of economic growth in 2009 and beyond and will be critical to the role our digital economy plays in future economic growth.

“Australia cannot sustain strong economic growth unless it lifts its productive capacity and it cannot sustain ongoing improvements in living standards unless productivity growth improves. And one of the key drivers of productivity is mobile telecommunications.”