Abbott: Broadband will be the political battleground for the next 18 months
- 14 September, 2010 17:20
- Comments 7
Opposition leader, Tony Abbott, has nominated broadband as the most important battleground and described it as a white elephant.
Abbott used a press conference to simultaneously launch an attack on the Government and announce his new-look cabinet.
He claimed the Government would "not fundamentally change its colours” as he appointed former opposition leader, Malcolm Turnbull, as Shadow Communications Minister.
“This Government will remain fundamentally incompetent at delivering services, in particular the National Broadband Network,” he said. “[It] is going to become an icon of waste and incompetence… the National Broadband Network will be to this term of Government what pink batts and school halls were to the last term of Government.
“[Broadband] is going to be the absolute focus of the political battle over the next 18 months or so. The Government is going to invest $43 billion worth of hard earned money in what I believe is going to turn out to be a white elephant on a massive scale.”
Abbott’s comments echoed statements made by Turnbull prior to the election at an anti-filter conference held at a local RSL. The former opposition leader had used the event and audience questions to talk down the need for Government funding in urban Internet.
Abbott said Turnbull’s telco and economics experience would perfectly suit him for the role of taking on the NBN. Broadband policy was nominated by key independent, Tony Windsor, as the deciding factor in his decision to back a Gillard Labor Government.
“It is a complete waste to spend $5000 per household delivering an information superhighway beside every dirt track in this country, whether people need it, want it or can afford it,” he said. “I can’t think of anyone better than Malcolm Turnbull, given his experience in telecommunications and in business, to hold the Government ferociously to account in this area.
“He has the technical expertise and the experience to entirely demolish the Government on this issue.”
Turnbull was toppled from his previous role by Abbott during a leadership spill over the introduction of an ETS.
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Comments
rodzilla
1
Australia has Third World Internet.
If "Speedo" Abbott gets his way, that's how we'll stay.
Reigninblood
2
Abbott....broadband....ferocious....whatever.....
Albi
3
And Abbott called to the Mystical Entities of Political Destruction:
Release the Kraken!!
Then as the seas churn, Turnbull is appointed as the Anti-NBN Minister and emerges from the foaming waves, wildly waving massive tentacles and smashing all in his way...
Meanwhile Tony Abbott in his Speedos (Budgie Smugglers?), with a trident in one hand and a thundebolt in the other, has replaced both Zeus and Poseidon and waits to rule all the dominions that he can see and stride!
But wait, who could be terrible and destructive enough to usurp Hades and rule with dark terror? Oh, no probs, here comes Andrew Robb....
Alex
4
Its fair enough to say its expensive, but it really is downright misleading to say that the NBN will be a white elephant.
Everyone who knows anything will tell you that wireless will never replace fixed line broadband and infrastructure, and that fibre to the home is the best way to future proof Australia.
gnome
5
@Alex: +1.
It's a pity that many of the chatterati don't have your knowledge and common sense when they display their ignorance of reality.
Bruce
6
@Alex - the way to future proof Australia is to diversify its income streams while attempting to limit the damage done by the public sector - both regulatory and financial.
Given the substantial investment that has already taken place in Australia to deliver the residential internet connectivity we have - what have we gained in terms of national income? How many industries can you think of that have arisen in this country as a result of residential broadband that contribute to national income - some cottage stuff but overall not much.
As backward as Abbot appears to be, he is right. The NBN is about throwing public money away on the belief that despite evidence of people dropping fixed lines for mobiles, a new wideband fixed line service is really what they want.
Broadband stats in Australia (and elsewhere in the West) consistently point to a low speed, low bandwidth, low cost majority. The sort of people that wireless is well suited to. With Australia’s aging population I can’t see this changing any time soon.
Ross Walker
7
"Broadband stats in Australia (and elsewhere in the West)" errr ... failed the Geography lessons then.
But whatever - high speed broadband between major cities is workable. but fiber to the bush, for sure it's a bit overkill. Wireless technologies can satisfy the requirements easily. And the cost savings can be put to more urgent causes in Australia ....