Nationals Leader factually incorrect (again) on NBN

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news The Federal Leader of the Nationals, Warren Truss, has for the second time this year made a major factually incorrect public statement with regards to Labor’s National Broadband Network project, inaccurately stating that no resident in his electorate would be able to connect to the infrastructure until “at least the latter part of this decade”.

The Noosa News, a newspaper covering areas in Truss’s Queensland electorate of Wide Bay, which covers towns such as Maryborough, Noosa Heads and Gympie, this week reported that business representatives in the area were pushing for the NBN rollout to accelerate the NBN rollout in the area, stating that there was “enormous potential” for the area’s development, but that it would need access to “the latest technology” to take advantage of the opportunities.

Truss was quoted in the article stating that not a single person in the Wide Bay electorate or Noosa areas would be able to connect to the NBN until at least the latter part of this decade. “The people of Wide Bay bear their share of the liability for the NBN, but no one is getting any benefits,” he said. The comments by the Nationals Leader echo — word for word — a media release he issued in March this year, in which he alleged that the NBN had proven to be “nothing but a cruel hoax” and a “monumental debacle”

“When Labor came to office they cancelled the previous Coalition Government’s OPEL contract, which would have already been delivering high speed broadband to the people of Wide Bay,” Truss said in March. “Despite Labor’s NBN costing tens of billions of dollars more than the OPEL contract, local people are having to wait an extra decade before anyone can access the service. The NBN is a scandal, and for the people of Wide Bay an empty sham. Labor’s announcement this week locks the people of Wide Bay into a slow speed economy for decades. All the claimed benefits for business, education, medicine and information services are for Wide Bay an illusion.”

However, Truss is factually incorrect in his statement that no residents in the Wide Bay electorate will receive access to the NBN before the later years of this decade.

In mid-2011, NBN Co started providing access to an interim satellite service nationwide (including to Truss’s electorate of Wide Bay). The service, which delivers speeds of up to 6Mbps over Optus and IPstar satellite infrastructure, is already providing improved broadband service to some 213 homes and businesses in Wide Bay, according to a media release issued by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

In addition, a number of communities in the Wide Bay electorate are also slated to receive access to either fibre broadband or fixed wireless broadband over the next few years. NBN Co’s wireless service is currently slated to deliver guaranteed speeds of up to 12Mbps to premises in a number of communities in Wide Bay, with the entire nation-wide rollout to be completed by 2015. Speeds of up to 25Mbps are eventually expected to be provided over the infrastructure. In addition, NBN Co is also planning to launch its own satellites in 2015, which are slated to deliver speeds of up to 12Mbps across Australia.

It is not clear at the moment when fibre components of the NBN will be rolled out to core communities in Wide Bay, with Truss being correct that much of the electorate missed out on the NBN’s three-year rollout plans announced several months ago.

Rural demand
Truss’s statement in March illustrated that his constituents are constantly demanding better broadband in the electorate.

“Hardly a week goes by when my office does not receive complaints about the unavailability of high speed broadband in the electorate,” Truss said at the time. “In many areas Telstra does not have any ADSL2+ portals available for connections and they have been unwilling to undertake new investment because of the uncertainty about the NBN network. The Wide Bay should have been a high priority area if the Government was genuinely interested in providing high speed internet services to communities that do not currently have access. Instead, Labor is duplicating existing high speed internet services in the cities rather than extending them to areas that are presently underserviced.”

Truss’s comments about rural demand for better broadband is consistent with a number of reports over the past several weeks about ongoing support for the NBN in rural and regional areas in Australia. This week, a new independent report found that rural and regional Australian communities are strongly committed to NBN project, with a focus on maximising the potential of the infrastructure when it arrives in their area. In producing the report, the Federal Government’s Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee held public consultations in 20 regional locations around Australia, as well as roundtable stakeholder meetings in every state and territory capital city.

The review’s findings echo a recent analysis of rural media coverage following the announcement of the three-year rollout plan for the NBN, which showed overwhelming demand for the infrastructure from a large number of rural and regional Australian communities, with many expressing disappointment that they had been left off the list for the NBN’s first few years.

The analysis was published last week (we recommend you click here and read the full article) by telecommunications industry worker and blogger Michael Wyres. In a blog post, Wyres wrote that he had examined reports from a large number of local newspapers to determine what community attitudes in the regions were to the rollout, universally finding that local community representatives wanted the new infrastructure in their areas, and wanted it fast.

The popularity of the NBN in rural areas is consistent with polling figures which have consistently shown high levels of popular support for the project Australia-wide. In February, for example, a poll released by research houses Essential Media and Your Source showed that the NBN policy has continued to enjoy strong levels of popularity, especially amongst Labor and Greens voters, since the last Federal Election.

The pair polled their audience with the following question: “From what you’ve heard, do you favour or oppose the planned National Broadband Network (NBN)”? The response displayed an enduring level of support for the NBN, with 56 percent of total respondents supporting the NBN in total, compared with 25 percent opposed and 19 percent stating that they didn’t know.

opinion/analysis
I know the Opposition has a responsibility to help keep the Government accountable, especially on major policy initiatives such as the NBN, but once again I must highlight the fact that it is unethical for the Opposition to do so if this includes making factually inaccurate statements about the NBN.

Warren Truss is certainly aware — or should be, given he is the local MP for his electorate — that a large number of residents and businesses in the area will be receiving NBN services by 2015 or so. I would expect a number in the tens of thousands to be benefiting from NBN services in the area by 2015. To state that “not a single person” would be able to connect to the NBN until the latter years of the decade is flatly incorrect.

Now, there is a case to be made that Truss was merely, in his comments, speaking about access to the fibre component of the NBN, rather than the wireless and satellite portions. And it is true that most locations in Wide Bay will be waiting until after 2015 to find out when they will get fibre to their premises, if they are in areas slated to receive that level of infrastructure. In this case, it is possible that Truss doesn’t understand the NBN well enough to know that it features a mix of technologies. However, to be honest this still isn’t good enough. The core aspects of the NBN policy have been known for several years now. One could have expected that Truss would have familiarised himself with them by now.

Image credit: Bidgee, Creative Commons

51 COMMENTS

  1. So more liberal party members demanding more NBN fibre for their electorates. I’m not surprised, they are all coming out of the woodwork and wanting a piece of that NBN pie even though it’s a “waste” lol. But it certainly is funny how they all think their area should be “high priority”, I wonder why.

    Thing is if our communications infrastructure had been upgraded years ago as it should have been we wouldn’t be having these problems at all and no area would even need to be “high priority”.

      • really? you’re going to bring this up after how long? as if labour wouldn’t have done the same thing. they sold the commonwealth bank and had every intention of selling telstra, if given the chance (granted, in a different way):

        http://www.dbcde.gov.au/Article/0,,0_4-2_4008-4_109751,00.html

        don’t get me wrong, i want the nbn (i live in mackay, queensland), but please try to keep the arguments current….

        • It is currently the coalitions fault we are in this mess.

          Very interesting, they refuse to look beyond the next election to the future AND they dont want to look at the past either… except when it’s to come up with a substandard broadband plan.

          • mate, i agree that the coalition are doing their best to screw this pooch… but to bring up something like the original sale of telstra is totally different. different time, different circumstances, different expectations of the sale. all of these things make a difference.

            like i say, i would love the nbn, but to just say we wouldn’t be in this mess if the government at the time did this, at that time, is a bit rough.

            why didn’t labor build a new network when they got into government, after the sale of telstra? same question as why didn’t the government sell it differently, or not all… easy to speculate, but hard to rationalise using today’s perspective.

          • “why didn’t labor build a new network when they got into government, after the sale of telstra”…

            Err… that’s exactly what they set out to do straight away! But found the initial information they had, which was to use FTTN was NOT going to be viable!

            But yet, that’s what the others still plan to do…

            So with this in mind (and this is not aimed at you per se’ Shannon) when the others get voted back in again in 2013, as all the NBN critics keeping telling us they will (when these same people are found to be, like Wazza above, factually incorrect) we will be criticising them “again” for screwing our nations comms “again”.

            At least they are consistent ;-)

          • It’s perfectly valid to bring it up.

            They actually started splitting up Telecom/Telstra into Telstra – (the retail arm) – and Network Design and Construction (NDC) as the network arm under the Keating regime, with a view to selling them both separately, or holding onto the network arm and just selling the retail arm.

            Come the arrival of the Howard government in 1996, and the process was halted, and we got the Telecommunications Act 1997.

            With a vertically integrated Telstra, there was no incentive whatsoever for Telstra to do anything to improve the network. All they had to do was maintain it. They didn’t want to upgrade it, because it would cost a truckload.

            Look at all the ACCC intervention that’s been required since then to keep Telstra in line.

            If the government had maintained ownership, they would have been gradually been able to upgrade over time as an investment, much like the NBN, instead of having their hand forced by Telstra playing hardball with their monopoly.

            The NBN in its current form would not be possible without the structural separation of Telstra, something that was started nearly 20 years ago, but shafted by the Coalition.

            Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any love for the ALP, but they had this right all that time ago, only to see it blindly stifled.

          • I’m pretty sure you know that selling NDC would not have separated Telstra retail/wholesale from the Network Division or the CAN.

          • @Michael Wyres

            ‘The NBN in its current form would not be possible without the structural separation of Telstra,’

            Telstra still is not structurally separated in 2012, so the NBN in it’s ‘current form’ doesn’t exist at all then?

          • 200 Billion we were in Surplus when Howard left. So he basically sold Telstra, to cover a debt to create a Surplus – he could have NOT sold the network component and we’d NOT be in this mess.

            It always has been the conservative side of Government’s fault for this, because they’re too anally retentive to shell out for things when the country’s doing well. They didnt need to sell Telstra as it was, it should have been split. We know it, they knew it and we’re all screwed now because of it.

            Its perfectly relevant, because now we’re doing well – about to go back to a LNP Government and they STILL dont want to pay for anything despite the fact they all want it.

            Damn politics.

          • Here Here! Across the board to all those Master_T, Alex and Michael.

            Shannon, I’m generally vaguely LNP leaning, but there is no question our telecommunications sector is in this mess because of a vertically integrated Telstra. They control over 80% of the market for goodness sake! You can’t have any form of development when you’ve got a company like that, which has no incentive to upgrade a network its’ government and customers (taxpayers) originally paid for and still use.

            The Coalition have never and WILL never fully admit selling of Telstra as vertically integrated was the worst thing that has happened to one of this countries basic infrastructure services in decades. Even in Turnbull’s recent speech, where he admitted it was a mistake, he tried to play it down, pushing it back on the NBN. For this reason alone, until they learn to accept their mistakes and take it like a man/woman/political party, they don’t deserve government. We had a good run under Howard, economically, but the spending was never dosed out properly towards infrastructure.

            It’s probably a bit childish “unless they apologise for what they did, I’m not going to vote for them”….but then again, I’ve not seen any of them acting their age lately anyway….

          • Are you for real?

            You are saying that Telstra is the only reason why no company could be bothered to lay a cable in the ground and sell a service from it, you have to be living in dreamland.

            Optus have their own and installed phone network, cable network, mobile network, DSL setup and national backbone.

            The Optus phone network still exists but they wanted to government to force Telstra into wholesaling their own copper network lines so Optus didn’t need to lay any cable or look after said cable at all. so it never got expended like it was meant to be so there would be 2 copper networks in Australia instead of only 1.

            The Optus Cable network got sold off to foxtel half owned by Austar and Telstra because it wasn’t making Singtel any money,

            And now 100% owned by foxtel/Telstra as Austar couldn’t afford the cable/sat network it needed to keep going and they have also been sold to foxtel/Telstra.

            99% of the Optus DSL network will be sitting in Telstra exchanges because they didn’t finish off laying out their own phone lines, so don’t have the exchanges in place to put any DSL equipment anyway.

            The only thing that is owned by Optus is the mobile network only because it makes money for Singtel.

            Then you say the NBNCo will be great because it’ll lead to more competition?

            The Labor government have made it so:
            no other company can lay a fiber cable in the ground it can only be done by NBNCo.

            No company can ever lay another national fiber network, only NBNCo can have a national fiber network.

            The Labor government has made it such that Telstra will be forced to shut down the whole copper network even if people still have services using it, thus forcing people into buying a NBNCo fiber connection even if they don’t want one just for a basic phone line and these people will be forced into paying for a ISP plan as well as you can’t just have a phone line you must have 2 services on every single NBN connection.

            The NBNCo can forceably buyout any company it wishes that directly competes with it.

            And your saying Telstra is a monopoly.

          • Zac your Telstra leanings are showing…?

            1. When Optus tried to lay HFC in the mid 90’s Telstra intentionally followed them around the streets duplicating Optus in areas Telstra had shown no interest in laying HFC previously. Not caring if they lost money as long as they forced Optus to. This clearly demonstrated to everyone else that “resistance was futile”. Iirc Telstra lost just under and Optus over $1B.

            2. Optus didn’t have to force Telstra, simply, it was Telstra’s legal obligation to offer the copper network wholesale.

            3. Optus cable not making money (refer #1)

            4. The mobile network makes them money because they weren’t up against an incumbent with a monopoly network and clientele in mobile, as they were in fixed (refer #1).

            5. Comms infrastructure IS a monopoly a natural monopoly. We all whinge about the Telstra monopoly simply because it was a vertically integrated nightmare. The owner/wholesaler of the network, also retailing/selling to customers = conflict of interest/anti-competitiveness BIG time. The NBN is a wholesaler only and does not have such a conflict of interest.

            6. Forced? Were we forced from dirt to bitumen roads? Analogue to digital wireless (and now TV)? It’s known as progress and it’s funny that only in relation to the NBN is this not recognised and ridiculously argued.

            By your logic we were all forced onto copper ;-)

          • Ah, Zag. You seem to be under a number of misconceptions:

            1)”You are saying that Telstra is the only reason why no company could be bothered to lay a cable in the ground and sell a service from it, you have to be living in dreamland.
            Optus have their own and installed phone network, cable network, mobile network, DSL setup and national backbone.
            The Optus phone network still exists but they wanted to government to force Telstra into wholesaling their own copper network lines so Optus didn’t need to lay any cable or look after said cable at all. so it never got expended like it was meant to be so there would be 2 copper networks in Australia instead of only 1.”

            So….this is who’s fault?….oh,. that’s right, because Telstra was GIVEN the copper network essentially, when it was split, they had no competitors and no requirement to sell wholesale….so it is the Coalition’s fault for splitting Telstra. I never said it was TELSTRA’S fault, although they’ve done their fair share to ruin any possible competition as you’ve noted. If the Coalition had never split them, OR if they had split them into Telstra’s Retail and NDC, NDC would’ve been required to wholesale. All this is the reason it was not profitable for Optus to run their own cable. You said yourself Optus wanted the government to force wholesaling of Telstra copper, because it wasn’t feasible to lay their own.

            2) “Then you say the NBNCo will be great because it’ll lead to more competition?”

            Never said it will lead to more WHOLESALE competition. It will lead to more RETAIL competition and the ACCC and the industry group, spearheaded by a newly separated Telstra, will “keep the bastards honest” as the saying went, when it comes to wholesale pricing of the NBN. NBN will be WHOLLY government owned, for the time being (unlike Telstra), meaning if it is not doing a suitable job, they can MAKE it do one.

            3) “The Labor government have made it so:
            no other company can lay a fiber cable in the ground it can only be done by NBNCo.
            No company can ever lay another national fiber network, only NBNCo can have a national fiber network.”

            Firstly, there will be many companies laying fibre, particularly in Greenfields. They must comply with open standards and be compatible with the NBN. No retail company wants to lay fibre unless it makes money and, well, very little fibre has been laid, so what does that tell you about the likelihood of more WANTING to lay it anyway? Now, moving on. Who said no-one can EVER build a national fibre network? The clause states Telstra and major retailers are not allowed to build a competing network for minimum 10 years. If a company wanted to come in and build one after that, they’d have every right.

            But you’re missing the point there anyway; we don’t have enough people in this country to support 2 networks. We never have, that’s why Optus don’t even bother with theirs anymore. This is not the US where 5 or 6 major players can have small market shares that translate into many tens of millions of people, making it feasible, in a country size comparable to our own, to role out competing networks. Any competition in networks here would lead to major fragmentation of the market in terms of hardware, capabilities, speed and pricing (particularly in the unprofitable regional/rural areas); hence the non-competition clause. Half the point of the NBN is to homogenise the network, as, unlike now, it makes for efficiency and simple supply of services.

            4) “The Labor government has made it such that Telstra will be forced to shut down the whole copper network even if people still have services using it, thus forcing people into buying a NBNCo fiber connection even if they don’t want one just for a basic phone line…”

            wwwwwhat?? There’s so many fallacies in here it’s hard to pick them out.

            – Telstra will migrate people to the NBN, so they will use NBN instead for the same services (so the copper is superfluous), yes, only if they wish to have an NBN connection. Those who don’t are perfectly entitled to keep their copper line, but when you are 9/10 going to pay the same or less (see numerous Delimiter articles on pricing under the NBN) and get a better service, why wouldn’t you?

            “…and these people will be forced into paying for a ISP plan as well as you can’t just have a phone line you must have 2 services on every single NBN connection.”

            – Forced into paying an ISP plan?? Have you read any documentation surrounding the NBN, or have you been listening to our lovely Tony Abbott? Here is a direct quote from the FAQ’s on NBN’s own website:

            “I don’t want broadband. Can I get a voice-only service over the NBN?

            Yes. You will be able to choose a fixed-line phone, without taking out a broadband package.
            Australia is moving to a largely optic fibre-based telecommunications network because the copper network is ageing and is not capable of providing the telecommunications services Australia needs for the future.
            In the future, most fixed-line, voice-only (‘landline’) services will be delivered over the NBN.”

            2 services on EVERY SINGLE NBN CONNECTION??. Like spreading FUD do we? Next question

          • Interestingly, The Auditor, there are two distinct groups of NBN critics.

            1. Those like you who say – the NBN will never make a profit
            2. Another group who say – we are all being forced onto the NBN to make it profitable

            Nothing like an each way bet.

            Even more interestingly some will jump from one group to the other/back and forth, depending upon the thread *sigh*.

            So let’s hypothesise that you/group 1, are correct (READ I refute this, but let’s hypothesise anyway).

            If the NBN mostly pays for itself and does so using investors dollars (albeit obviously unhappy investors) doesn’t that make it ultimately more profitable for average Aussies than all other governmentally constructed infrastructure and still an asset worth something, which can be sold?

            Doesn’t it also make it more financially prudent than completely wasting Aussie taxpayer dollars on subsidies gifted to private companies to own our network, meaning that average Aussies will never even have an opportunity to see a profit from the Coalitions broadband alternative?

            So even in a worst case scenario the NBN is still better.

            Now compare the two above hypotheses using group 2’s views ;-)

            Also, you are the second person here today to refer to “the NBN” as “Labor’s NBN”.

          • “Also, you are the second person here today to refer to “the NBN” as “Labor’s NBN”.”

            When they say “Labor’s NBN” they are referring to the proper NBN build. The alternative is a gimped NBN version from the coalition (aka Turnbulls patchwork plan).

          • “It always has been the conservative side of Government’s fault for this, because they’re too anally retentive to shell out for things when the country’s doing well.”

            Nailed it. Well and truly nailed it with a nuclear powered nail gun.

          • You know whats funny about people who vote based on the party and not the policy ?

            Coalition Voters are normally the ones that trumpet for Health, Education and Roads. If this is where they want their money spent; why is it that in every year Howard was in Government – that his party removed spending from each of these 3 areas ?

            Tony Abbott famously cut spending on Medicare and Aged Health to the tune of 1 Billion per year, the entire term of Government.

            Now whos clever ?

          • I’ve said this before – the real reason the Coalition is crazy mad about the NBN is that is forces them to actually DO something and have a policy. They went a decade without making any real policy or far-sighted decisions, and they would much rather have sat back and set “let the market sort it out!”

          • A number of issues there:

            1. Coalition had 3 times the chances to Separate and build an upgraded network (Telstra Sale #1 -1997, #2 – 1999, #3 – 2006) which occurred at different times, each time reducing the Goverment control of Telstra.
            2. Coalition didn’t improve the Telstra network after the sale of Telstra network, it bribed the Australian People via Tax cuts.

            So anyone’s claim that it was different time, is BS you.

            There is big time difference from T2 and T3 – 7 years infact.

          • Good point Daniel.

            While Telstra was sold as vertically integrated… for almost 10 years (between T1 and prior to T3) the then Howard government still held a controlling interest in Telstra and could have, as majority shareholder forced separation, but still chose not to.

            They actually continued to oppose separation and iirc (I will stand corrected if I am mistaken) still opposed it during the last federal election, less then 2 years ago. Being so, it’s really only over the last 12-18 months that the opposition have caught up (woken up) in relation to Telstra separation.

            Now if they could also wake up and get out of that other 2005 rut they are stuck in (FTTN), we can all move forward together!

        • Actually Shannon, Keating had the processes being established to separate Telstra. Howard cancelled that. The reason – not well known , but Packer, Stokes and Murdoch wanted Telstra integrated. Packer was all for competition, actually had set up a wireless data link Syd to Melb using their mobile OB Vans. Stomped on by the Telecom authority, then Ch9 did the Olympics in the US, experienced what a mess and disaster trying to do broadcast links in the US with all the different providers and having to negotiate and deal with them all , with varying qualities and standards, hats off to the Ch9 techs, they did well getting the Olympics to us. That was when Packer et al decreed that Telstra had to stay integrated for THEIR business requirements. Howard being the obedient puppy obeyed and the separation was stopped. Here we go again with the NBN, the obedient puppies are panting trying to fulfill their masters orders

  2. Dear Lord, where do you start with statements like these…

    No ADSL2 connections available – theres the Liberal’s “competition will drive things” policy failing in front of us. It should be noted that under the Coalitions plan, this same thing would still happen as Telstra waited to see what happened.

    How about “Labor is duplicating existing high speed internet services in the cities “. Obviously in a competitive market they are going to provide the best products in the most lucrative areas first. Surely he can see that the reasons there are no ADSL2 connections would be repeated under the Coalition. I guess saying that wouldnt be helpful to his cause though…

    The list of disappointing comments with this guy goes on and on. I just hope his constituents dont believe him. Even if he’s right, how does he expect the Coalition to solve things. OPEL isnt returning any time soon…

  3. “The NBN is a scandal, and for the people of Wide Bay an empty sham. Labor’s announcement this week locks the people of Wide Bay into a slow speed economy for decades.”

    Decades….????

    I’m sorry, I don’t normally flat out state this for a politician, there are always areas where they are at least able to gain some traction, and this doesn’t help the cause at all, but Warren Truss is an idiot, plain and simple.

    He’s stating his people want the NBN and they’re not getting it, AT ALL, till late twenty teens and it should be earlier- wrong
    He’s then stating the NBN is a waste of time and money and the Coalition could do it better…WHAT?
    He’s THEN stating they will be locked into a slow speed economy for decades, when latest they will get the NBN is 2020

    I’m sick of this rubbish from anyone, especially Coalition minutemen. This man is an idiot and is not fit to lead a party if he can’t even understand basic communications.

  4. Warren Truss is an idiot, plain and simple

    Correct. Not once has the guy said anything that I even slightly agree with. He is everything I hate about right-wing politics rolled into one giant dickhead.

      • I’m not sure if I agree with this Warren Truss bashing. You have to give him credit for going out on a limb and admit he is in favor of the NBN roll-out despite his party being vehemently opposed to it.

        • Ahhhh, what?

          I don’t think you could call this “in favour of”:

          “The people of Wide Bay bear their share of the liability for the NBN, but no one is getting any benefits,” he said. The comments by the Nationals Leader echo — word for word — a media release he issued in March this year, in which he alleged that the NBN had proven to be “nothing but a cruel hoax” and a “monumental debacle”

          And

          “When Labor came to office they cancelled the previous Coalition Government’s OPEL contract, which would have already been delivering high speed broadband to the people of Wide Bay,” Truss said in March. “Despite Labor’s NBN costing tens of billions of dollars more than the OPEL contract, local people are having to wait an extra decade before anyone can access the service.

          The NBN is a scandal, and for the people of Wide Bay an empty sham.

          Labor’s announcement this week locks the people of Wide Bay into a slow speed economy for decades. All the claimed benefits for business, education, medicine and information services are for Wide Bay an illusion.”

          Particularly that middle one….

          • This sentence:

            “The people of Wide Bay bear their share of the liability for the NBN, but no one is getting any benefits”

            Means he IS in favor of the NBN rollout. NBN = benefits. It is not rolled out in Wide Bay yet but he does want the NBN and the benefits it will bring ASAP. He wants NBN fibre for his electorate thus he is in favor of the NBN.

            :-)

          • Yeah I knew that’s what you were getting at. Nice reasoning :) If only Truss (or any other Coalition MP shouting for better broadband in their electorate) were smart enough to understand this contradiction.

          • Ok, I’ll give you that one :)

            The problem is, everything most Coalition MP’s say about the NBN is so contradictory, you don’t know if they’re saying yes to it, no to it, or, in this case, both!

            It really is the sorriest state of affairs if this country can’t have a proper debate and discussion about the most important national infrastructure spending it has seen in decades….

          • “The problem is, everything most Coalition MP’s say about the NBN is so contradictory”

            That’s the “genius” of it, voters in Australia are almost as stupid as American voters now so they can get away with this, they dont see this and think “omfg what a hypocrite, I’m not voting for this moron” at all. It’s all deliberate, say one thing to outrage one group and something completely contradictory to outrage another group of voters. End result is more votes for Abbott and his zoo crew chums.

          • http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-10/green-public-discussion/4002222

            I posted this on the last NBN story. It shows how bad we really are as a people, that the politicians don’t even HAVE to know about the topics- because the people don’t either and form their opinions anyway.

            I didn’t and don’t like Keating- He’s rude, even for an Australian politician and some of his economic policies…let’s say, failed to improve Australia’s financial position….however, in this 2UE interview, he’s absolutely right.

            If you don’t understand and haven’t read into and asked questions about what you have such a vehement opinion on- Shut up and go away. Or as the memes would say- Knowledge or GTFO.

        • I’d have to agree with you here alain, I can’t actually see where he is agreeing with the NBN as a whole.

          But he’s skirting awfully close to saying “we can see its’ benefits and want them, but aren’t getting them”…which amounts to much the same thing….

          More dodging and weaving from anti-NBNers….

          • The NBN is just a label, there is currently a product called the Labor NBN, post 2013 election (assuming Labor last that long) there will be a product called Coalition NBN which the electorate is on target to approve with a predicted landslide Coalition victory.

            The National Party will support the Coalition NBN and will provide key input to the roll out prioritising it for their regional and rural constituents.

        • “Except he didn’t”

          He seems to want a NBN fibre plan just like every other coalition member. Why does this surprise you? He probably wants to get a 100/40mbps plan too, I think it safe to assume that since it is the most popular one.

    • ‘Correct. Not once has the guy said anything that I even slightly agree with. He is everything I hate about right-wing politics rolled into one giant dickhead.’

      That sort of well researched insightful comment is one of the best examples of why much pro-NBN comment is primary school playground stuff, the Coalition have it so easy going into the next election it’s laughable, all they have to do is keep breathing.

      • Thing is alain, we are here to talk about the current NBN and the Coalition’s alternative policy (which we know little about)… not to gloat about the Coalition possibly winning the next election, as you do every 2nd comment.

        Ok they are ahead in the polls and in all likelihood should win… so let’s hear their broadband and other policies, or should we just “trust them without question”?

        • “Ok they are ahead in the polls and in all likelihood should win… so let’s hear their broadband and other policies, or should we just “trust them without question”?”

          I think that goes without saying for alain, Alex…

    • yeah I lol’d at that too. At least we know he is listening to some of what Conroy says. Or perhaps Truss is a die-hard Portal2 gamer who wants faster broadband for smoother co-op games with Abbott.

  5. Yes it’s funny when the LNP whine about not getting fibre in their electorate when OPEL was never about fibre. Perhaps Noosa might have had wireless by now under OPEL but really OPEL was such an underfunded patchwork plan that didn’t address many black spot areas, which many are in the metro area!

    As for the sale of Telstra. selling a fully integrated company was good to get a big share price and interest of investors for short term gains. The money flowing in made the LNP look good financially in the short term. But the LNP never stand for building infrastructure. They are just conservative bean counters. At the end of any run with the LNP government everyone complains that not enough is being spent on education, health, infrastructure etc…

  6. What is Truss whinging about, I live in the Labor seat of Tweed and we get sweet FA (zilch) over the next 3 years of the NBN roll out. These guys whinge about its set up then whinge about not getting it,…………and Im stuck on mobile wireless whinge whinge whinge.

    • I live in the National seat of Barker, and one of our regional towns (Loxton) is in the next NBN rollout. Odd that we don’t see our National member (Patrick Secker) applauding this badly-needed opportunity for his electorate.

      I can understand the urge to whinge, though. When I saw Loxton on the list, my first thought was, “What about us?” ;)

      However, the rest of our main regional towns are on a national highway (Sturt), so the NBN will probably do us all in one stage. I’m waiting, guys… *annoyed finger-tapping*

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