Abbott: Government must "rethink spending" due to floods

Abbot, the NBN is being funded via debt and investors, the cost is effectively $0 to the government as it is a decent business case, with returns expected.

You CANNOT fund something like rebuilding QLD on debt / investors, noone will touch such ideas with a 10ft pole.

I, like everyone, agree that QLD needs help rebuilding, I even donated - but suggesting NBN funds be used on it show just how little you understand about the project and it's finances, nevermind the fact it has /never/ been $50bn, Abbot.

The floods in QLD proved how piss poor communications in Australia are.
Instead of redundant links via multiple paths that disaster proofs communications, we have the Abbots attitude of "she be right, let the private sector do it!".

@Jason
There are multiple redundant links supporting communications infrastructure in flooded areas already. Inter-capital links remained operational and Brisbane (being the POP for most carriers) didn't lose connectivity at all.

As for other regions, most still have mobile connectivity and the ones that don't, also don't have power. No matter how many redundant links are in, if there is no power they are useless.

If anything, the floods have shown how good the current infrastructure is at coping with everything but power loss.

Abbot is no longer relevant in my opinion .. the longer the Libs keep him around, the less chance they will actually have of gaining power. Not that I'd have a clue who would be even remotely decent at keeping Labour honest, needs to be someone younger, much younger. Someone who has a clue!

I'm trying to work on the assumption that once the NBN proper really starts to get rolling, this sort of trollop will be seen for what it is and quieten down.

Tony, maate, isn't it time to move on from this simplistic view of "the surplus"?

What is the point of having public revenue and not putting it to public purposes? You are still fighting the last war. Our prospects are good, let's stop pretending they aren't.

Where is Abbott getting this $50 billion figure from now?
He will come up with just about any excuse to kill a perfectly reasonable investment like the NBN.

This is why I will NEVER vote Libral.

Poor old Tony, desperate to kill off the dreaded NBN at any cost, as the NBN will probably keep him out of power at the next election...

First he says he does not want to politicise the flood, then launches into politicising the flood with his very next breath. Hypocrite and cheap politician.

Next he is all of a sudden quoting $50billion for the NBN? Will it be $75billion tomorrow, $269.4billion as we get closer to the election?

And of course his version of the NBN was always only ever going to be $4billion and do an even better job...

Next he speaks of staying within budget and the flood costs in the same breath, he is hitting the bottom of the condenscending barrel now.

Mr Abbott is still looking for any way to criticise the labour governments. Mr Abbotts statements should again be treated as worthless rhetoric. The only thing he had to add was that they would hold the government to account on expenditure, inuendo and a cheap shot from someone with nothing else to say. There was nothing about what and how to help the recovery.
His cohorts in Qld will now troll for any avenue to criticise Qld Labour, but the Premier proved her mettle during this event and her opposition had nothing to say, do or add.

PS: The NBN is not Mr Abbotts problem, his problem is that he is not the Prime minister.

I was watching Mr Abbott taking about not paying politics during the flood. He was then on channel 9 playing politics. Saying this article basically "this is why we need surpluses" "No the liberals wont allow money to be wasted on flood repairs." "Government needs to rethink its spending" Pretty sure if he was PM he would say oh just move away the repairs will cost too much. As soon as parliament resumes it will be. "why don't you can the NBN we can't afford it now do our 6million sticky-tape fix instead."

Start this by saying I am completely 100% behind the NBN, and that the Liberal’s proposal is flawed and inadequate, I also want to say that I am incredibly impressed with the manner and attention that Anna Bligh has handled the organisation of the crisis, that the communication through this disaster has been incredible.
I am a Liberal voter as my previous posted will suggest, however I do sincerely believe that Abbott's message was badly structured, however is the message really that bad? I think that he used the example of the NBN as an area that government could consider spending alterations, personally I would have stopped the Joint Strike fighter with the US as there is $10bn in that at least, or foreign aid to Indonesia for schools when we could use that money at home now.
My question is would you rather have a government with the ability to be able to consider options, a government that has the money and the resources to make available large amounts of money without disadvantaging its general population? Or do you want a government that makes rash decisions, spends money at will on flawed and inadequate solutions (possibly they are both as bad as each other, Pink Bats and School Buildings versus inadequate NBN), a government that resorts to begging its unaffected citizens for money to provide basic services that it does not have the money to provide these services to its affected citizens. The worst thing about this entire crisis is that the government has had to beg the population, the country and world for financial aid, when I thought that this was the purpose of taxation revenue.
I think that the phrase is that a prudent person puts a little away every week for a rainy day, well one rainy day in Queensland has truly shown us how this government how it handles it fiscal responsibilities. Thankfully for Anna Bligh and Julia Gillard they speak well, as it saved them in the last election, lots of words and no delivered on promises, lets pray that this is not how the Flood crisis is handled.

Why not roll out the fibre to areas that need to be ripped up for repairs or even new power lines installed at the same time. wouldn't this help reduce the cost of the NBN???????????????!!!!

Abbot is still playing crybaby from losing the election.
Liberal get the hint: DUMP HIM NOW!!

We need people in the know about all different aspects at least the basics where as MR ABBOT has no clue but how to winge.

most if not all great infrastructure projects in australia were built by LABOUR not LIBERAL as they do not see a point in building anything unless it has a 50%+ ROI even then its still the SHE'LL be RIGHT ATTITUDE.

I agree with nerd, these floods have been devastating to the regional infrastructure in QLD. The federal government and the NBNco have an opportunity to accelerate the rollout of the NBN in these regional areas. This should save money on not rebuilding old legacy systems and give these flood affected communities a boost to their future economic growth.

Abbott would use any excuse to save the media status Quos from the dreaded optic fibre.
Give me a break. All Governments have a budget to cover natural disasters. it's a bonus when none occur.
It is the perfect time to optic fibre the devastated areas during the clean up period as it will be to upgrade all infrastructure. At least those affected can get something positive out of the floods. I am quite happy to have to wait a little longer for optic fibre to roll out in my area.