Mr Peter HARRIS Secretary, Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Ladies and gentlemen, it is also my pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to the newest Member State of the ITU, East Timor (Timor Leste). East Timor is one of Australia’s closest neighbours and a fellow member of the Asia–Pacific Telecommunity. We welcome East Timor to the ITU, and trust that she will benefit, as we have done, from participation in the ITU community. Australia places great value on its involvement with the ITU. Governments past have been participating in the ITU, and its predecessors for more than 130 years. Mr Chairman, We maintain a strong commitment to the union, and believe in the importance of its role in supporting co-operation Secretary-General, across national borders on telecommunica-tions Your Excellencies, and radiocommunications matters. ladies and gentlemen… One of the key challenges we face as representatives of Governments is how to ensure all our citizens are able to participate in the digital economy. good afternoon, it is a pleasure to be here. Can I begin by congratulating you, Mr Chairman, on your election to this important role for the Conference. The digital economy is the economy of the future. It is an economy that is not restricted by location or socio-economic status. All of us are approaching this opportunity in different ways, suited to our unique geographies, economies and societies. I would also like to thank you for the gracious hospital-ity you have extended to all members of the Australian delegation since our arrival in Mexico. However, what underpins these different approaches is a common vision to ensure we achieve the full ben-efits Needless to say, we are delighted to be here in Guadalajara to participate in this key event for the ITU. of the communications revolution, both nation-ally and globally. You have a beautiful city, and with the warm climate and friendly people the Australian delegation feels most welcome. Thank you again. Australia is tackling this challenge head-on with the roll-out of a National Broadband Network (NBN) 100