Conroy serves it up to Turnbull over NBN - yet again

Mister Turnbull will again blithely ignore this reasonable request, and his abject failure as Communicatons Shadow Minister is annoying many thousands of coalition supporters.

I am aware that supporters are already telling the Liberal Party they will withhold campaign donations until they get the policy detail, because they don't want another electoral fiasco over broadband as in 2010.

Unless the coalition promises fibre (or something the electorate believes to be equivalent), regional Australia and urban blackspots are again going to vote for candidates with a fibre policy. This will produce a large cross bench and see several marginal Labor MPs hold on. Another hung result then becomes possible from yet another unloseable election.

The Nationals should by now be threatening to go it alone on the NBN if the coalition fails to. This at least would save some seats in regional Australia, and might make the difference. The Nationals originally had a pro-fibre platform which was undermined by Tony Abbott's announcement a week out from the 2010 poll, and which gave us a Green-Labor minority government.

Yawn! Don't these two get it? Rome is burning, do something constructive that we care about!!!!!

In my opinion Steven mixes up accountability as government and as opposition. He is responsible and he is held accountable by the opposition and taxpayers. Not the other way around. The broadband policy only becomes relevant at the moment an election is called and surely at that time tax-payers will judge the performance of the Minister and the broadband policy of the opposition on its merits. But no election is called and Steven is hitting the drum at the moment, he decides and he is up for meeting the expectations that are created within the electorate on the NBN by himself and NBNCo. And it is Malcolm's job as shadow minister to keep him accountable on this on behalf of the taxpayers. So why not stop bullying and deliver the best broadband network. As stuart stated, do some constructive work and I add to that without the political theatre. Steven, you try to bully your opponents into a race that will only be run in an odd year or so. Don't be amazed that nobody will accept your challenge. Australia waits on what you promised every Australian, the best broadband network in the world.

I give it to Turnbull, the guy knows how toady up to and to lay supine to the party power mongers after his unceremonious defrocking.

It is a shame that Rudd's ego does not let him come to terms with his.

Oh, as for the oppositions policies, how does Turnbull keep a straight face. Maybe he believes this is his penance, jokes on him, those mongers will never forgive as it is not a matter of forgiveness. Turnbull has a streak of independence which will always bleed through.

@afg.buijk

With respect you miss the point.
It is not a minor policy. It is about essential National infrastructure that will have a major impact on our economy over the coming years.
The subject matter is complex and reasonably the public cannot be expected to have much knowledge and understanding.

That is why in the interests of Australia and our economic future it needs to be released in detail at the earliest opportunity for discussion which may well lead to improvements and end up with something vaguely satisfactory.

However release just before the election provides no time for assessment and readjustments. In that case just purely to win the election with no regard for Australia's economic future and future competitiveness.
Truly a massive failure for a future Government with potentially disastrous consequences for the nation

It is not Conroy that Turnbull is ignoring. It is the voters. They must think that we are so stupid we will elect a party that refuses to reveal costed policies. Just so long as they are not the current lot. I hope we are really not that stupid.

@abel: I do not miss the point and I did not say it was a minor policy. I stated that the opposition does not have any role to play in the current NBN-project other than keeping the current government to account on the performance (financial, strategic and operation). That is where it stops, the oppositions ideas are not relevant. Until no people get killed like very sadly with the boatpeople, the current government will not adopt any of the oppositions policies ever, if it is already on matter of principle. The only moment in which the voter has to opportunity to make judgement on the current government is by voting at the next election. At that time, the broadband policy of the opposition will become extremely important. But now? No, completely not important. The interests of Australia and its economic future will be decided by the voter on the next election. And until that time, the Minister is in charge to look after the interests of Australia and its economic future from his portfolio.

@keith: Who says the Opposition will refuse to reveal the costing on their broadband policy when an election is called?
You will agree with me, that they would never have a change of winning if they don't. The NBN is a very hot topic with voters.
Suppose that the opposition would release a broadband policy or answers his questions, what can the voter do with it. Nothing, the thing the voter can do with it today is making a judgement on a policy that actual has to be made in a year or so. With the changes in the last corporate plan, the Opposition policy could be already past its due date. As a voter, I would like to hold AT THAT time, the Oppositions Broadband Policy against the performance of NBNCo/Minister. After this I will decide who I vote for, not one year before that.
The Minister has a problem with being held accountable on the NBN, hence the reason he starts to put pressure on Malcolm. But in the light of the spending on the NBN-project it seems to me extremely reasonable on the basis of his responsibility that he actual is kept accountable on a constant basis.

Humph: you miss the point, the opposition is sour as the plan is for (almost) everyone and not a junket for the rich!

afg
Yes release their plan and their costings just before, no time to assess, the anti NBN Media will enthuse over it regardless of how rubbish it is and the mug voter will be sucked in. Considering private sector involvement, FTTN and subsidies the costing, especially over the long term including Maintenance and "any upgrades - very unlikely? will be exceedingly questionable - Remember their last costing, an accountancy firm got into severe legal strife over it and it was a 11Bill black hole.

Consider also the kerbside powered active FTTN cabinets, the state of the arctic sea ice and the extreme weather worldwide, it would be foolish in the uncertain climate/weather times to rely on kerbside powered active equipment in metal boxes

Have you read Turnbulls statements? He is the opposition, there to oppose and point out follys of the government. NBN is an unaffordable folly for the majority of the population who do not need 100 mb connections. This forum I expect is pretty well only read by technical people who have a vested interest in their own or their business use of fast internet. Actually, you are in the minority of the population.

The results of the NBN rollout so far do not give any confidence that it can be acheived in anything like the proposed time frame or without a significant blowout in costs. FTTN can be done much more quickly and at far less cost while delivering at least ADSL2 (or better) performance to a majority of the population, a great deal of whom have no broadband access at all at the moment and who are unlikely to get it for a very long time at current rollout rates.

Meanwhile, technology marches on with 4G wireless coming up soon and one would expect other improvements to follow in time. A significant proportion of the population will be quite happy with the kind of performance, that can be obtained by wireless technologies especially when combined with mobility. eg. my daughter, a highly tech savvy professional who doesn't even bother with a phone/broadband connection at home even now. (I guess she's not into watching porn movies).

If a person or business wants super fast broadband, let them pay for it. Businesses if they need fast broadband, as of course most will, are not impeded from getting direct connections. This does not mean every man and his dog needs broadband, and indeed, many will just not bother with anything other than the very lowest option (or none) even when it eventually gets to them. Current take up rates show this prety clearly.

This is the heart of Turnbulls argument. It matters not the technical details - these will be taken care of by the many companies who will want to get into the business of providing internet and related services at far less cost to the public purse - if they are allowed to.