news Kevin Rudd has given several major speeches and press conferences pushing the case for the National Broadband Project he launched as Prime Minister in April 2009 to cause a “revolution” in sectors from education to healthcare and tourism; adding the Coalition’s alternative would leave Australia an “economic backwater”.
As Prime Minister from December 2007 through June 2010, Rudd was one of the main driving forces behind the instigation of the NBN project, both in its original fibre to the node model from 2007, and then when it was massively expanded in April 2009 upon the failure of that model. Rudd personally backed the current NBN model and facilitated Communications Minister Stephen Conroy taking it to the wider Cabinet in early 2009.
Following his failed tilt at Julia Gillard’s Labor leadership in February 2012, Rudd retains only the status of a backbencher in the current Federal Government. However, if comments the MP has made over the past week are any indication, Rudd hasn’t given up on his beliefs regarding the NBN.
In a speech to the Urban Development Institute of Australia Congress in Melbourne last week, Rudd brought up the NBN extensively as an example of the kind of infrastructure Australia urgently needed for the future.
“The digital economy is estimated in a report by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy to be worth 3.3 per cent of GDP – but we are currently behind the average of 4.3 per cent of industrialised economies and they are continuing to grow faster than we are,” Rudd said. It is also estimated that the NBN could add 1.7 per cent to our long-term average productivity growth by 2020.”
“Therefore the NBN is needed to bring us up to speed.”
The MP asked listeners to image the landscape of Australian small business if all businesses had the type of access that meant they could have a “profitable and productive internet presence”. “It would revolutionise the way Australians conducted businesses by giving our small and large businesses a level playing field in access to cloud computing and access to clients,” said Rudd.
“The NBN will bring about another education revolution in regional areas with access to content and resources for eLearning. It will also transform the way our schools interact with their students, their families, nearby schools and schools on the other side of the world. The NBN will make the government’s investments in tele-health and personally controlled electronic health records pay real dividends in improved patient outcomes.”
“I also believe that we have failed to recognise the NBN’s potential in our tourism sector. Being able to send high-resolution video and photos to potential visitors, for visitors to eyeball a tourism operator in full HD before signing up for an experience, and of course to make sure that the speeds they get in their hotel room are second to none. This is just one example of how the NBN transformation of Australia is yet to unfold.” Rudd also raised the issue of telecommuting, and how it would help decongest Australia’s roads.
“The transformation of the NBN to the possibilities of the future is like giving someone from 1995 an iPad – the leap forward once we have the whole nation fully wired will be mind-blowing,” Rudd said.
Rudd said the current Labor Federal Government had committed to invest in economic, social and digital infrastructure because it wasn’t interested in the “blame game” between the Federal and State Governments which had hamstrung such investment in the past. And he warned that without such investment, the nation’s infrastructure would “fall behind, fall into disrepair, and eventually fall apart and take the economy down with it”.
In contrast, Rudd said, six months out from the September Federal Election, Australia had heard “nothing” from the Abbott-led Opposition about its plans to tackle the national infrastructure deficit. When it came to broadband, Rudd said, Abbott had committed to “simply rip it up” and “possibly lay out fibre optic to the node if you happen to live in the right place, not to all premises as we plan, thereby leaving the problem once again for someone else to fix”.
In the Howard Government’s time in office, Rudd said, the Government had come up with “something like 12 Coalition plans” to deploy broadband around Australia. “They all failed,” he said. “And Mr Abbott’s plan for the future appears to be the same again.”
“This will render our major cities and our regional centres absolute economic backwaters compared to the rest of the world, which is heading in exactly the reverse direction,” Rudd said.
Rudd has also made similar statements on a number of other occasions over the past several weeks. For example, in an interview with Sky News on 17 February, Rudd was asked about whether he had any regrets about his approach when he was Prime Minister. Rudd said he did, but he was also up-beat about the positive things he had accomplished, saying:
“You accept responsibility for these things. And we’d all wish in politics we’d have the gift of 2020 hindsight. We don’t, we simply put things together as best we can, work out what our values are for the future. Work out what policies can make that vision happen for the country, like the infrastructure revolution we’re engaged in at the moment. Can you imagine an Australia without the National Broadband Network in the economies of the 21st Century? The other mob sort of dance around the edge and say the sky will fall in, it costs too much. In five years’ time we’ll say why the hell didn’t we have it ten years ago.”
And in a statement on 26 February, Rudd heavily criticised the Liberal National Party candidate, Bill Glasson, for his seat of Griffith. Glasson had previously been appointed as an “NBN champion” who had been one of those responsible for supporting the project in public and educating Australians about its potential, but resigned after becoming the LNP candidate for Griffith. In 2011, for example, Glasson, a doctor, noted that was particularly excited about the projected e-health applications of the NBN.
“The Liberal National Party candidate for Griffith one day is a National Broadband Network champion and then, when this proves to be politically embarrassing for Tony Abbott, he tries to have his support deleted from history,” Rudd said. “Furthermore, the Liberal National Party candidate has publically declared support for the National Broadband Network in 2009 and 2011.”
“This is not just a backflip, it is also a betrayal of the basic broadband needs of more than 140,000 residents across Brisbane’s Southside and more than 22,000 small businesses. I call on the Liberal National Party candidate for Griffith to have the courage of his convictions and stand up to Tony Abbott on a critical investment for our local community.”
Rudd’s comments come as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has recently confirmed that he expected Malcolm Turnbull to become Communications Minister and have responsibility for the National Broadband Network project in a Coalition Government, following his time as Shadow Minister since September 2010.
For his own part, Turnbull has continued to advocate for an alternative NBN policy based on fibre to the node and HFC cable technologies, while also promising to release, after the election, a full analysis of what Labor’s NBN project would actually take in time and money to complete, an accounting which he believes would leave the Australian public “shocked”.
opinion/analysis
I’m not surprised to see here that the NBN is still very much on Kevin Rudd’s mind. It wasn’t just Conroy that was an advocate of the NBN in the early days; can you imagine what level of trust and support in the future of Australia as an exporter of knowledge and technology that Rudd must have needed to have had, in order to publicly back a $40-$50 billion (ish) infrastructure project, taking on Telstra and restructuring the entire telecommunications industry along the way?
It’s hard to see more conservative leaders such as Julia Gillard, Treasurer Wayne Swan, Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr, Defence Minister Stephen Smith and so on as supporting that kind of project right off the bat as Rudd did. Rudd was always the visionary in his government — whereas most of the other senior ministers, such as Gillard herself, were more capable administrators. I think much of the unpopularity of the current Gillard Government is based on the fact that Gillard doesn’t appear to have the ability to capture the spirit of the times as Rudd did.
You can see this in the way that Gillard supports the NBN, but doesn’t really appear to fundamentally understand what it’s all about. It’s very much Stephen Conroy’s project — while under the previous Prime Ministership, Rudd had a much more hands-on approach.
In any case, it’s great to see Rudd once again taking the lead on these kinds of issues. The old dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve yet. Like many people, I’ve always personally favoured Rudd as my preferred Labor leader, and Turnbull as my preferred Liberal leader. I’d still like to see an election fought between those two; I suspect that it would very much be an election of lofty ideals and ideas to realise them, such as the NBN and climate change, as compared to the never-ending, ongoing slanging match which is almost all we seem to get these days from Gillard and Abbott.
Image credit: Australian Civil-Military Centre, Creative Commons
About time Kev, what took you so long??
07’s popularity amongst the citizens makes him a great vehicle to use in making sure that everyone understands exactly what the Liberals are proposing. Or not proposing… I still haven’t seen a coherent policy plan yet.
i think you’ll find that most would accept that Ms Gillard is further to the left than Mr Rudd, and therefore, in politics speak, less conservative (and more progressive) [cf. what you’ve written in the 2nd para under ‘opnion/analysis’].
I don’t believe ‘conservative’ means right-wing; to my mind it means more resistant to and less promoting of change.
That is the dictionary definition. The two are not exclusive though and in this case the conservative(liberal) party is both.
‘Conservative’ is a bit too general a definition for what the Liberal Party is, by my definition. Some aspects of the party (for example, the part which features Malcolm Turnbull) is quite fiscally conservative but quite socially progressive — more socially progressive than some parts of Labor.
On objective measures, both the Coalition and Labor as sum totals are quite fiscally conservative and socially conservative in general. Both are really centrist parties at this point, supporting limited ideals of market freedom coupled with solid dashes of social welfare. It’s really only the Greens in Australia which is different — and even then the Greens are basically also still fiscally conservative but progressive on a range of other fronts — the environment, social values etc.
Our Australian political spectrum is quite limited.
I would more equate the current political paradigm in a lot of the Western “Democracies” as sitting in a Restaurant and each of the Chefs are bringing out their “Pièce de résistance” of a beautifully presented healthy meal to set your mouth salivating. Problem is, some of them are laced with arsenic. Bon appétit!
I really don’t like politics and politicians but when a former PM and Patriarch says and does this, well… it makes one take notice.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/baillieu-tells-of-sadness-after-fraser-quits-liberal-party-20100526-wbes.html
You mean a luddite? lol
That is a very interesting comment Renai considering when Rudd was elected he promised to govern as a fiscal conservative or “John Howard lite”.
Pfff most of John Howard’s economic virtues came from the long term planning of Keating, and being fortunate enough to have a mining boom. Can’t say that Howard’s plan’s were particularly forward thinking however. Indeed it struck me that their plan was bend of for the US and rid e the mining boom. Its a sign of Labor’s current poor crop that it seems to be their plan as well. Rudd at least pushed some changes. Changes that without the Greens supporting them in the minority government would have likely ended up dead in the water.
In the context Renai used it the term ‘conservative’ was fine. It didn’t mean ‘further to the right’.
i’m just glad to see Rudd stop with the thinly veiled spiteful negative attacks on Gillard and labor in general.
perhaps he has gotten over his loss and come to realise that he is still popular with the people and so does not need to have a dig any chance he gets.
he can let gillard lose on her own merits and be there to scoop the ALP up when gillard is invariably replaced.
having said all of that…
if he were to become the champion of other ALP policies where labor is struggling like he is doing for the NBN he could actually help turn things around for them in time to make the next election a possible victory.
Where has he done that? The Thinly veiled stuff?
From what I have seen he has been pretty open, and is not contesting anything. He is simply being seen to be supporting the party.
The reality is Labor’s ship is floundering. Rudd is a captain they know the passengers trust. But a lot of the crew don’t.
IMO, Liberal and Labor, both need a good housecleaning. Oust some of the the non elected powermongers, and get back to running the goddamn country.
Green’s will almost certainly get my vote again.
Mostly cause I know that the Greens will never win power on their own, and whoever they have to go in with will provide a check on some of their more extremist policies.
Not a Rudd supporter, but he deserves serious credit for getting the NBN project up and running, and for supporting it now.
Hope he keeps it up.
continuously cleaning up gillards unfinished every thing..rudd is a tireless worker, he relates to people, if only he was back..what a happier australia it would be..
Well said, so many people would agree with you, he should never have been removed.
Pity the people who had to work with him don’t agree with you. Perhaps you could ask Peter Garrett who he prefers as PM.
He is a great campaigner, if only he had a team to support him
Sportsbet has Rudd at $1.85 to lead the ALP to the next election. Joolia Goolia is $2.00.
I think the smart thing to do would be to take Julia to the next election, let her lose it, then start fresh with Bill Shorten in 2014.
Yes… Rudd’s biggest concern would be leading his party into a seemingly un-winable election, only to again become opposition leader?
indeed.
far better for him to be the gracious peoples man, the political messiah.
Julia Gillard led Labor into a seemingly unwinnable election, too.
But then Tony Abbott fatally promised, six days before the 2010 poll, that he would not fix the Telstra monopoly and would let the market continue to decide when regional Australia got decent communications.
If the coalition fails to learn the clear lesson shown by its own post mortem, and endorse the NBN, then the Labor leader (whoever it is) could well find him/herself lost for words at surprise victory or hung result on election night, like the stunned mullets we saw last time.
If the coalition fails to learn the clear lesson shown by its own post mortem, and endorse the NBN, then the Labor leader (whoever it is) could well find him/herself lost for words at surprise victory or hung result on election night, like the stunned mullets we saw last time.
it is for this very reason that i am not convinced that the election is un-winnable.
anything can happen between now and when the polls open.
just ask John Hewson about his un-losable election in 1993.
Intertesting definition of “unwinnable”; History has shown us that no first term government has lost an election since the 1930’s.
Interesting observation…
But history has also shown us that there hasn’t been a hung parliament (federally) since the 40’s either!
So…
Yup the outcome was definately unexpected. And most likely reflects on the publics opinion of both political parties but that doesnt change the starting position.
that was then; this is now. i personally believe she wont be able to produce such an effect again:
http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopStories/2013/03/11/ALP_faces_massacre_under_Julia_Gillard_853318.html?cid=ZBP_NEWS_L_L1-2_ALPfacesmassacreunderJuliaGillard_RSS_100313
the personal likeability of a potential PM is something that can be trumped by policy, by external considerations (many nations seem to be very reluctant to change leaders in war or close to war situations for example) – but at the same time when those other concerns take a back seat, when things are going well, it can definitely swing things – as i think will be the case this time around. the backstabbing nature, the fact there was not a clear win (instead a minority govt) lack of vision and the slanging match nature Renai references – i think are pushing people to try the other option rather than put up with the same again. there is definitely a trust issue in it, and while i have a hard time believing trust can be put in Tony, more people believe they cant put it in Julia at this moment. TBH i have difficulty with that as well – but i believe Tonys untested nature is a far bigger risk.
Julia i think wants to win an election outright, which is a fated endeavour if i ever saw one. that self service – rather than letting the leadership go to the one that most polls say people would vote for – will hurt that party, in exactly the way Howards intransigence in letting Costello succeed him hurt the Libs when Kev won originally.
i also agree with Renais comment about vision – were Rudd to be reinstalled the Liberal party would have to respond for that reason, and in that same mode, and i simply dont think Tony is capable of it. my view is if theres anything that would trigger a Rudd-Turnbull clash it would be the Labor party caving to reality and rejigging the leadership, triggering a changing of deckchairs on the Liberal ship also.
You seem to have forgotten that Rudd was making no headway against Abbott, in fact was paralysed. Gillard has Liealot’s measure and is mnore than capable of dealing with him and the rest of the Liars thugs.
Isn’t that what they call short odds?
:)
“then start fresh with Bill Shorten in 2014.”
Let’s just say that the Americans would be very happy with Shorten as Prime Minister.
I’d rather not be made a plaything of theirs, thank you very much.
I want better inside trading info before i put my money down.
It makes you wonder where we would be if Kevin hadn’t been rolled, but then we have to remember just how unpopular Kevin had become when he was toppled as leader. And he was completely inflexible and above listening to reason at the time. Lets also not forget that he is notoriously bad tempered, and by all accounts a nasty man to work for, which is no way to be a effective leader. Basically if you end up putting young staffers in tears and constantly swear at everyone around you, you’re not going to be very well liked, nor get very far, regardless of how nice you appear on camera to the public.
I think Kevin has risen to be a sort of mythical, fantasy leader now. He’s now the underdog that a small portion of the public think could still be PM and magically rescue Labor. To everyone else he’s just a destructive force who has caused so much inner turmoil in the Labor party, rising up to his leadership challenge against Gillard (and let’s remember he lost that by a landslide for a reason).
So while I love to hear Kev talk up the NBN, the idea of having that fake man as PM again, is not one I can even entertain, as a staunch supporter of the Labor party. It just won’t happen, so I wish people the media would shut up about him as the preferred leader. Even he has stopped dropping hints about it now, and has given his full support to Gillard, so I people should get behind her and Labor’s superior policies instead. She’s not perfect, but I think Gillard is doing a remarkably good job under extraordinarily difficult conditions.
These issues of “trust” and “good judgement” with her “lie” about the carbon tax is a joke, given the circumstances she was thrust into with a Labor-Greens alliance forming a minority government, left her little choice. And as for trusting the opposition, or God forbid, Tony Abbott, they have done more backflips than a an Olympics gymnastics team (remember Abbot himself once said the best way to tackle climate change would be a carbon tax) so it’s all fabricated propaganda once you examine the facts. I just wish that the majority of the Australian public were capable of critical thinking and understanding just how much worse off they will be under a coalition government. P
Whether people like Gillard or not, it’s all about picking the lesser of two evils. You may not want Gillard or Labor in general re-elected, but look at the horrifying alternative! :(
Hear Hear,.
a ‘small portion’?! he had a 61 % would vote for recently. Polling problems aside i have a hard time believing that even if the MOE was in effect and was at the lower bound that vote for %ages would be anywhere near as bad as Julia is viewed now. i fully agree with the rest of the assessment but i think in terms of the party – does the party want to be in opposition or in government – theres some evidence out there that he can help them at least minimise the gap should he lose, whereas with a Gillard loss, it is likely to be big – to the point of landslide – and take a lot more time to recover from. looking to the next electoral cycle, i know which position id rather be in.
Where did you see the 61% poll? (not doubting it, would just like a look for myself). That is rather high! Is that “61% would prefer a Labor Rudd government over an Abbott coalition government”? Or 61% would just prefer Rudd over Julia? (but many would vote Liberal anyway). That’s one of the big problems I have with that style of poll. I’m sure many conservatives would say they prefer Kevin. He’s more right wing and a practising Christian which means a lot to people like that. However a sizeable portion of those pollsters would surely just vote Liberal regardless of which Labor leader they say they prefer?
I think if Labor ditched Kevin now, they might do slightly better or slightly worse, but its not going to be the difference between winning or losing, so why put the party through so much hell? Given he would lose anyway. Labor seem so stuffed right now, that its really now about minimising damage by hanging on to as many seats as possible.
Given Gillard herself called the election, its Gillard’s Labor campaign, and the last thing they need now is more instability with talks of leadership changes once again. I hate to say that I think the election is unwinnable for the ALP, but that’s the way it has looked for a long time. I wouldn’t like to be in Julia’s shoes right now as she has one of the toughest campaigns imaginable ahead of her.
Doh! What is it with me and stuffing up italics tags lately?! Renai, please help ? :)
it IS the latter of the two, if im reading it right. but it shows theres a clear differential in the public mind between the two possible labor leaders. thats really what i was getting to, not that i think he (has a great chance he) will beat Tony. as i said though, i think the 2party %age would be much closer and easier to close the gap on following a Rudd loss than a Gillard loss. look at Qld – that landslide loss will be at least 2 cycles to close the gap on. if it was the usual 55-45 kind of split, and Newman did what hes done, he could possibly have been a single termer. that wont happen now.
but that situation being replicated with an Abbott govt i think would be a much more serious situation, and why i think that a Gillard- Abbott election is a bad choice.
i think it was these figures i saw:
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2013/02/17/nielsen-56-44-to-coalition-3/?wpmp_switcher=mobile&comments=1250
Interesting. Thanks for link. Its hard to know what to make of those polls overall, but you’re right in that they do seem to show a clear preference for Rudd rather than Gillard as leader. Whether people saying that on the phone would follow through with a Labor vote, is still the part that polls can’t accurately tell us though IMHO. What the polls don’t cover is the massive internal disruption to Labor should another leadership spill occur, and how the media would cover that, given the severe image of instability it shows. It could even end up with more people hating Kevin for rolling Julia and ruining Labor’s campaign. We just don’t know.
All I know is I’d rather Gillard follow through with the election. At this stage at least, all her Labor colleagues are toeing the party line and still publicly backing her (though its probably a very different picture behind closed doors).
Simon, you do realise that the day or so after his ousting that the opinion polls were up in favour of Rudd?
Just sayin’
Yes of course, and I think that was to be expected. A lot of people obviously don’t think he was toppled for good reason. I have mixed feelings about it, given the unusual circumstances, and still do.
‘When it came to broadband, Rudd said, Abbott had committed to “simply rip it up”’
lt’s trot out that old scare campaign again, you never know the poor punter voter might believe it even though the Coalition have stated on MULTIPLE occasions they will not do this.
‘ and “possibly lay out fibre optic to the node if you happen to live in the right place, not to all premises as we plan, thereby leaving the problem once again for someone else to fix”.’
umm what? what’s the ‘right place’ mean, the Coalition have not stated if FTTN is rolled out where it will be actually rolled out, and what’s the ‘problem’ exactly that someone else needs to fix, and why does it need fixing if it’s in the ‘right place’ in the first place?
‘not all premises as we plan’
Does Kevin07 actually think Labor is rolling out ‘Fibre optic to the node’ ?
wow this is the best he can do – really?
the Coalition have not stated if FTTN is rolled out where it will be actually rolled out,
well that’s kind of the point isn’t it?
they haven’t stated much of anything other than better, faster, cheaper.
As they did in 2007 with OPEL…ROFL
Again I hate politics, especially in relation to our comms…it actually sickens me to see the political sycophants here pushing their obvious cause.
All I want to see is balance. Let’s have both sides treated equally.
But for anyone to accuse Rudd (of all people) “alone”… of a scare campaign, while intentionally ignoring that all we have heard from Tony, MT, Hockey, Pyne, etc, etc, since in opposition is negativity… is laughable…
Perhaps Rudd is getting negative, but FFS he isn’t Robinson Crusoe. In fact I’d say the new motto could be, if you can’t beat them, join them.
@alain
“lt’s trot out that old scare campaign again, you never know the poor punter voter might believe it”
Woah calm down with the scare campaign talk, Renai’s artciel was simply re-stating something that Rudd said 6 months prior to the last election.
“umm what? what’s the ‘right place’ mean, the Coalition have not stated if FTTN is rolled out where it will be actually rolled out”
As you well know alain, while the Colaition haven’t stated where exactly it will be rolled out (as pointed out by others), we know that Malcolm Turnbull has recently stated that areas with existing HFC coverage will be the last to get it… if at all.
So i’m really not sure where you’re taking such offence to the quote from Rudd within the article. Given the evidence we have before us (which is no solid Coalition policy and confirmation that certain areas with certain existing coverage may/may not get FTTN) the quote from Rudd is factually correct as it stands as it is only ‘possible’ that you will get FTTN depending on where you live.
@Trittium
‘Woah calm down with the scare campaign talk, Renai’s artciel was simply re-stating something that Rudd said 6 months prior to the last election.’
Woah really?
‘In a speech to the Urban Development Institute of Australia Congress in Melbourne last week, Rudd brought up the NBN extensively as an example of the kind of infrastructure Australia urgently needed for the future.’
‘the quote from Rudd is factually correct as it stands as it is only ‘possible’ that you will get FTTN depending on where you live.’
Well you could also get Coalition FTTH depending where you live as well, I noticed you let the ‘Fibre optic to the node’ comment which Labor apparently is rolling out to all premises go through to the keeper – totally understandable really.
@alain
“I noticed you let the ‘Fibre optic to the node’ comment which Labor apparently is rolling out to all premises go through to the keeper”
Sorry alain I think you might be getting ahead of yourself with your excitement at tearing apart comments from Labor ministers. From Renai’s article –
Rudd said, Abbott had committed to “simply rip it up” and “possibly lay out fibre optic to the node if you happen to live in the right place, not to all premises as we plan, thereby leaving the problem once again for someone else to fix”.
There is nowhere that Rudd claimed that Labor is rolling out fibre optic to the node to all premises. The way you have written this makes zero sense because you have interpreted it incorrectly. If you pause and read the sentence slowly you will see that Rudd is saying that Abbott will be laying fibre optic to the node if you live in the right place… while we (as in Labor) will be rolling out fibre optic to all premises.
So please, show me again where you believe Rudd, the man who jointly came up with the NBN FTTP policy, now is building fibre optic to the node to all premises.
“totally understandable really.”
Lastly, what is this supposed to mean? If I didn’t know any better I’d say this was a thinly veiled personal attack on my intelligence. Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong here.
+1 Trittium
Another pointless, devious strawman argument succinctly put to the sword…
@Trittium
So you ignored the response to your assertion that this was a six month old statement from Rudd.
‘If you pause and read the sentence slowly you will see that Rudd is saying that Abbott will be laying fibre optic to the node if you live in the right place… while we (as in Labor) will be rolling out fibre optic to all premises.’
That’s not we he said you changed it to get the emphasis you wanted, he stated from the full paragraph:
‘In contrast, Rudd said, six months out from the September Federal Election, Australia had heard “nothing” from the Abbott-led Opposition about its plans to tackle the national infrastructure deficit. When it came to broadband, Rudd said, Abbott had committed to “simply rip it up” and “possibly lay out fibre optic to the node if you happen to live in the right place, not to all premises as we plan, thereby leaving the problem once again for someone else to fix”.’
You changed it to:
‘while we (as in Labor) will be rolling out fibre optic to all premises.’
‘Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong here.’
I have corrected you TWICE now.
Which part of “fibre optics to the node” vs the word “PREMISES” is so hard to comprehend?
The opposition will supply it to the node not the premises. We all know this, why the pedantic argument?
Seriously, this is not rational debating when an obvious statement is typically and pointlessly FUDded up.
Everyone else knows what both party’s are offering (albeit the opposition’s is still veiled somewhat in secrecy).
Look alain, I simply don’t know if you’re being wilfully stubborn here but if you honestly believe that Kevin Rudd is claiming that Labor are building fibre to the node to all premises, then I don’t know what to say other than you are not interested in debating the merits of any case on these forums and are only interested in pathetic point scoring and you have no place on this forum.
There is no such thing as fibre optic to the node to all premises. This is something that you have made up by misreading Kevin Rudd’s quote and you are now simply making yourself look more and more foolish by sticking to your guns here.
Again, the pertinent quote is:
“possibly lay out fibre optic to the node if you happen to live in the right place, not to all premises as we plan”
Please use your common sense in reading this. Rudd is NOT saying that he will lay fibre optic to the node to all premises as we plan. He is saying Tony Abbott will lay fibre optic to the node and we (Labor) will be laying fibre optic to all premises.
Seriously can we get Renai to please confirm the interpretation of this quote to put this “fibre to the node to all premises” nonsense to bed?
Finally, I’m not sure exactly how you got your 2013 ban from last month reversed but I would strongly suggest that it be reinstated as you have clearly demonstrated again here that you are willing to twist a factual statement from Renai’s article and turn it into a bizarre tool (fibre to the node to the premises, whatever that is) to win arguments on an internet forum and discredit a government minister.
yes, its a hyperbolic comment, and pollies love to use hyperbole… but as to the claim they have said multiple times they wont, i disagree. Tony is on record saying hed turn the ’50 bn’ from the NBN into ‘roads and hospitals’ – and given that figure is greater than the NBN policy actually is – hes effectively saying there would be 0 bucks put into communications, absent any articulated Comms policy. once theres a policy with a figure i will amend that statement – but there is none such forthcoming from the Libs so far.
in any case, on that expression of intent, to ‘put the money (elsewhere)’, it might not be ‘ripped up’ as such, but with no further investment made into the NBN it certainly would be as dead as if it had been.. i dont see it being as far off the mark as you are making it out to be, sensationalist wording aside.
alain, it’s not a scare campaign.
Abbott has committed to saving billions on the project. It’s public record for heaven’s sake.
You can’t do that and keep it going. You also can’t claim he isn’t going to reverse that without policy. Of which there is none. You keep on believing if you like.
I’ll stick to what’s on public record, and policy. The former is to pull funding and the latter doesn’t exist.
Once again an advocate of the NBN is deliberately mixing up the benefits of a universal broadband network with the benefits of a high speed broadband network. There would be huge benefits to democracy, to government, to education, to the old and the sick and the poor, from a broadband network that pretty much everyone was on. But that’s not the national broadband network we’re getting. We’re getting one built by people who think its number one and only priority is and should be as high a speed as possible. And because of that it will be at least as expensive as ADSL, and more expensive than wireless, so that’s what all the old and the sick and the poor will continue to have to use. While the well off get to watch 4KHD games and porn in every room in their house simultaneously.
Gordon, under normal circumstances I would respond to your (imo) complete nonsense.
But because of the Delimiter comments policy, I may end up in trouble for laying it on the line, so I won’t bother…
I hope you and your family enjoy your post 14 Sept comms mediocrity and receive your just deserts in full :)
Don’t worry gordun, since only “2-3mbps” is needed those “old, sick and poor” in your imagination will be able to enjoy “4KHD games and porn in every room” too. There there, the future is all too scary isn’t it, poor dear, go take some meds and have a lie down. I’ll call you when then next NBN article is posted.
Gordon
“While the well off get to watch 4KHD games and porn in every room in their house simultaneously.’
You, obviously have great comic talent and I am sure your like minded friends think you are hilarious. Please continue to entertain them but could we be spared.
nearly right. its not the broadband network we will be getting – under the Coalition. as to the current policy:
“We’re getting one built by people who think its number one and only priority is and should be as high a speed as possible.”
False
“And because of that it will be at least as expensive as ADSL, and more expensive than wireless”
False
your comments are invalid and it has been explained to you many times why. quit peddling shit that has no relation to reality. there are many many reasons why the FTTH was selected, briefly OTTOMH: economies of scale, telco environment particularly the incumbents position, headroom for future usage and lifetime. the speed on offer being an incidental bonus – and desired by consumers to boot. on a per GB basis wireless continues to be the most expensive of services, and on a plan cost basis nbn plans are already equivalent and in cases cheaper than ADSL.
go back and have a look at Telstras proposed charges for service under their various FTTN pitches. are you going to tell me its a good thing if this all gets handed over to Telstra under the Coalition? and will you cry for the ‘poor and sick’ if they do the same under the Coalition, if it gets handed to them? really?
4KHD biggest benefit will be to TeleHealth. A thing that is poorly broadcast and of which shows that our medical health is worth less than some other people’s financial health.
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.”
WOW!
@Gordon – what speed to you think is necessary for todays needs? 12 Mps? 6? 3? Every politician thinks its at least 12 Mps, and they arent far from the truth.
Its also been very clearly proven that our needs double roughly every two years. So, if a Government is going to be investing 10’s of billions of dollars in such infrastructure, dont you think it should last longer than the 6 years it will take to build?
You seem to misinterpret the ‘faster is better’ mantra as the Holy Grail. Its not, its part of the future proofing needed to justify the costs.
Rewind 10 years, and a large portion of the population was still on dialup. Go a couple of years further back and pretty much everyone was. Our needs grow, and our future needs will grow as well. 12 Mps now, 100 Mps by 2020.
FttN has a cap of around 80 Mps thanks to the limitations of copper. It might be enough for some for decades to come, but if our growth rate stays anything like it has, speed IS something of a goal. And FttH now gives as high a speed cap as is currently possible.
Not as the be all and end all, but to future proof the project as much as possible so we dont go through all this again in 10 years.
If Rudd is willing to stop the destabilisation make him junior Minister in Conroy’s Dept and let him spruik the NBN from now till Nov 14.
If that’s an example of Rudd NBN spruiking the Coalition won’t mind at all. (BTW it’s September 14th)
:)
Alain
You seem to have an in-depth understanding of the coalition’s feelings and intentions on most things. Perhaps, you could go all the way and tell us what their policies are?
Don’t encourage him.
It would be the shortest comment in history.
RETURN OF THE KING,
the king is dead, long life the Queen.
Prefer Rudd to Gillard, just.
People seem to forget that his popularity was pretty bad with the Aussie public before the coup, (though not as bad as Julia’s is now).
Shame there does not appear to be anyone else who would be any better.
I love a good ‘rocky’ story…
Go Kev your up from the canvas and readying that killed blow
The people (labor voters) r behind you
Keep it up champ
:D
I’ll be soooo glad when the bloody fiber is in, we’re all using it in some way, and we don’t have to hear about doom and gloom, ruination of Rupert’s Farm and the promotion of tooth decay any longer because we are technologically progressing.
Wake me up when it is done. I am over Rupert’s excessive whining and his sycophants moaning at us because of it.
To borrow the phrase, and emphasize it in an Aussie way, “Just bloody do it!”
I hear ya!
“asked listeners to image the landscape ”
You mean “imagine”?
“gift of 2020 hindsight”
should be “20-20”. It’s only 2013 after all ;)
People are getting hung up on speeds. The NBN isn’t really about speed. It’s not really even about the Internet.
It’s to replace an ageing network, with a ubiquitous technology and system that will at least meet and should well exceed the lifetime of the existing Copper Network, currently owned by Telstra.
It is what the network is capable of, and will be capable of, that is important. 4K video jokes simply illustrate the lack of understanding such a huge change in the broadband landscape can make, and merely parrot the same old tired lines from MSM.
It is a functional replacement. It’s one of Rudd’s few moments where he managed to work with his party to get an outcome. A single, defined policy using investment to fund a new network that is endlessly upgradable, available to a huge percentage of the Australian public.
It’s funny; people have developed this hazy view that Rudd was the messiah. In actual fact, the government was at risk of being toppled and collapsing due to Rudd’s dysfunctional relationship with his own party. Julia was asked to take the part of brutus; not sure anyone really wants to have that honour.
And she’s still paying for it. Despite seeing her party elected in a General Election. MSM, please get over the last election result, and move on.
Remember, the same media that predicted Rudd would topple Julia without issue (which was in actual fact a crushing defeat) is the same media predicting a landslide victory for the Coalition. Oops? :)
Back on topic, if you look at the revolution in content, services and applications that have occurred since dialup began to be replaced by DSL and HFC, and the acceleration rate of that; the changes have been incredible and I doubt few could have imagined quite what we have now.
Abbott could care less, Turnbull is barely able to get funding (to do more than toss out a bunch of cabinets and maybe some sort of DSL service) and is left to make random commentary over the various merits of VDSL and copper whilst deflecting any actual questions.
The NBN will become a focal topic of the coming election. By the time it rolls around, the NBN will have likely released the next set of numbers, and a far higher percentage of the constituency will be in the pipeline for connection.
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