Comments on: Conroy threatens naughty NSW with NBN powers

By: Alan H from Sydney, Australia

Alan H from Sydney, Australia — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 01:16:27 +0000

As a fellow of the Institute of Engineers in Australia, who has a long and detailed knowledgeof all aspects of electical transmission systems, it is my opinion that most of the comment concerning the difficulty and ‘danger’ inherent in access to power poles in this piece is just drivel. As commented by another above, Foxtel and Optus were granted access to hundreds of thousands of power poles in Sydney to string their cables, and this was done with startling speed, and no outside supervision at all. Stringing NBN cables from post to post under power lines is no more complex or dangerous, and a lot less time consuming than cutting foliage that gets within 2 metres of power lines. This latter activity is done continuously by contractors, again with no supervision or involvement with the ‘owners’ of the poles and wires. O’Farrell and Stoner’s arguments are false and specious. In other words, they are lies. They are trying to help Abbott by surrounding the NBN rollout with supposed difficulties. The statement that receiving money, for an activity that will cost the power pole owners nothing at all, will increase power bills is so obviously false that it is laughable.

cheers, Alan H BE MBA FIEA

By: Dean

Dean — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 09:20:34 +0000

Surely this puts an end to the question:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-31/nsw-27s-surprise-surplus-after-241bn-budget-error/4343752

Peter Achterstraat’s audit of the state’s finances found that data entry errors, mistakes in spreadsheets and poor reconciliations were responsible for much of the disparity in projections.

When the Treasurer Mike Baird delivered the budget in June, he forecast a deficit of $337 million.

But Mr Achterstraat says with the corrected figures, the budget is in surplus by $680 million.

By: Tinman_au

Tinman_au — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 06:02:14 +0000

Barry should be put in a chaff bag and dumped at sea!!!1

By: socrates

socrates — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:36:20 +0000

Oh no!!

Anything but those red underpants.

By: Paul Thompson

Paul Thompson — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:30:29 +0000

Well, it may encourage NSW to vote differently. Or start a lynch mob. I’m pretty sure that the politicians would get the message either way.

By: Soth

Soth — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:21:30 +0000

Not sure, but I don’t think the NSW Govt. like those birds that sit for FREE on the power lines… Bludgers.

By: Kevin Cobley

Kevin Cobley — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:17:31 +0000

What are Optus and Foxtel currently paying, don’t think Rupie would pay Barry’s rates and not have him voted out.

By: ungulate

ungulate — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 06:16:36 +0000

I agree that the NSW Government is playing politics.

I also think there’s a bit of truth in the idea that power infrastructure costs more to build and maintain in NSW so the “fair” cost of access might be a bit more than the $20-$30 mark.

Not that that’s a good thing mind you. Its just that NSW is mired in bureaucracy and almost anything infrastructure related costs 2 to 3 times as much as it should – witness the bloated cost estimates for rail projects.

Mind you its amusing to think that the previous Labor government finally went down because it couldn’t kick enough heads in the bureaucracy and it looks like this government is suffering the same fate :)

Plaudits to NBNco for having a fresh point of view. Maybe they’ll inspire other projects to get their costs under control. Maybe the NBNco will be a good model for a high speed railway one day.

By: djos

djos — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 06:12:59 +0000

I’d like to see that! :-D

By: @Matt_Phipps

@Matt_Phipps — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 04:46:04 +0000

Red Underpants Anyone?

By: djos

djos — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 04:40:40 +0000

I say HL approach is to use the law to steamroll the NSW gov into submission!

Frankly I dont see how the NSW gov has any credibility in this at all when EVERY SINGLE other state Gov came to a mutually acceptable price for access to the Power Poles … including the Liberal run states!

By: Murdoch

Murdoch — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 04:17:12 +0000

Man, my english is terrible.

Last sentence should read …

“Hopefully more comes to light if we see this go through the court process.”

By: Hubert Cumberdale

Hubert Cumberdale — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:22:06 +0000

Make sense. Remember the future is “clearly wireless” after all.

By: seven_tech

seven_tech — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:19:46 +0000

How come everyone is NSW should be blamed for our stupid politicising government??? I want my NBN and I’m just as entitled to it as the rest.

Come on people, get serious, NBNCo. aren’t going to do that. This is nothing more than grandstanding- the little man jumping up and down because he has an inferiority complex.

By: Paul Thompson

Paul Thompson — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:14:03 +0000

I would love to see a hardline approach to communities of any size that try to play political games with the NBN.

I beleive that NSW should be scheduled for satellite coverage until such time as they negotiate in good faith. If they don’t negotiate in good faith, then let them have satellite.

By: TechinBris

TechinBris — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:58:14 +0000

How many people would place “I like O’Farrell” placards in their front garden if NBN did just that on NSW. NSW would really be miffed if the NBN suddenly ceased to expand within their border whilst the rest of the Nation began to hook up big time to fast net access without all the crap we go through with the copper. As more connect and utilise, the spin put out by the Libs will get very wobbly.

By: paul

paul — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:37:40 +0000

How about suspending the NBN roll-out for NSW and using the funding to accelerate the other states roll-outs till Barry O’Farrell comes to his senses and stops trying to rip off all Australians

By: minime

minime — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:36:46 +0000

Fully support Conroy in bulldozing incalcitrants!
We need the NBN yesterday, and not some half-baked wifi alternative that would never be as good.

By: Bilko

Bilko — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:15:18 +0000

Why not say that NSW where such obstacles arise will not get the NBN until its Government comes to the party and then sit back and let the community kick them into line.

By: seven_tech

seven_tech — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:51:53 +0000

Dozens of companies negotiate every year to get access to these poles. Sure, not as many of them, but even so. Also, Telstra have access to them by agreement as their cabling is already there. And NBNCo. have an agreement with Telstra to use their infrastructure- one would assume that includes agreements in using their pole access.

On the electrical side, I don’t believe the access these companies need to roll out on pole is the same level needed to physically deal with the high voltage lines. The NBN cable will sit below or with the copper, so it shouldn’t ever involve going within a mere of the electrical line. There is different regulations covering those who use the poles and those that actually work on the cabling. I wouldn’t for see the former being as strict as those of the latter.

Sorry Renai, but NSW Government has been against the NBN from the start and even things they haven’t been able to do a thing about (opt out Build drop) they’ve made a big deal of. I agree with Murdoch- this appears to be nothing more than grandstanding. Why have we not heard a single peep from other states otherwise? Surely if NBNCo. were massively underestimating and pushing that cost, there would’ve been SOME disagreement elsewhere??