Fifield keeps pressure on Labor for ‘lack of NBN policy’

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news Mitch Fifeld, Minister for Communications, has once again hit out at Labor over what he called its lack of policy on the NBN and the technology that best supports it.

“Today, Labor had an opportunity at a major telecommunications industry event to reveal its NBN policy. Instead, Labor squibbed it,” he said, referring to the Communications Day conference taking place this week. Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare gave a major speech at the conference, but did not outline any change in Labor policy with respect to the NBN.

Fifield has already criticised the opposition party this week, saying it is building up to a “backflip” on its stance which would see an NBN built solely on fibre to the premises (FTTP).

Again he has suggested that Labor is making preparations to abandon an all-fibre rollout and use the existing copper network – a stance he called a “carbon copy” of the Coalition’s multi-technology policy.

The Coalition’s existing broadband policy allows the NBN to decide which technology it will use to deliver fast broadband to deliver a more cost-effective service, with an expected completion date of 2020. This includes using technologies such as fibre to the distribution point (FTTdp) and ‘skinny fibre’, which can offer significant savings over FTTP.

According to IT News, tests conducted over 2014-2015 by the NBN indicated that thinner (hence “skinny”) fibre optic cables significantly reduced construction costs.

The trials indicated that skinny fibre lowered the cost of deployment by half, from around $1200 to $600 per premises, since they can more easily be passed down existing ducts and avoid the need for extra civil works.

Labor has, however, so far advocated for an FTTP-only NBN.

“Under the former Labor Government, the taxpayer picked up the $6 billion bill for a mandated gold-plated network and an incredibly slow rollout that saw just 51,000 users connected,” said Fifield.

The Coalition policy, he said, has always been to allow NBN flexibility in network and technology design decisions “as long as the economics stack up”. This approach means the NBN has “met or exceeded” financial and rollout targets for seven consecutive quarters.

On 4 April, Fifield outlined the government’s NBN business model and its agenda for wider industry reform at the CommsDay Summit 2016.

He said: “[T]he key difference between the former government’s NBN and our redesign of the project is that our approach is based squarely on a business model – not a technology choice.”

Addressing concerns that the NBN rollout was falling behind schedule, Fifield said that under the Coalition’s business model, “the company estimates the build phase will be complete by 2020. The earnings phase will also begin far sooner with peak funding expected to reach around $49 billion in FY21.”

Further, he said, it is expected that by the end of June, over 2.2 million premises will be able to order a fixed or wireless NBN service.

“Similarly, the number of connected premises is growing on average at 14,000 a week – easily in line with forecasts,” added the minister.

Image credit: Parliamentary Broadcasting

113 COMMENTS

  1. Guys like this are why no one respects politicians. WTF is he doing banging on about an absence of his oppositions plans while he’s busy running the project into the ground and studiously ignoring industry experts? Waste of space and arghh…god I hate politicians.

    • I don’t see what his problem is. The election hasnt been announced yet. Why should he be privy to policy before then?
      Besides, they are not building fttdp generally, only in too difficult to install nodes areas.
      If Jason announces general fttdp as part of policy, then good on him. It’s far better than the crap fttn nbn are building..

  2. The policy is ‘more fibre’ – which is fine by me and better than anything Fifield and Malcolm have to offer.

    What is the Coalition’s policy? More copper and satellite? Why don’t you slam them on that too Renai?

    You must have woken up today and decided to be Mr. Balanced for the day. Is this your ‘insurance policy’ article? :)

    • “What is the Coalition’s policy? More copper and satellite? Why don’t you slam them on that too Renai?”

      First…. The article isn’t even written by Renai….

      Second…. It is talking about what Fifield has said, not anything about the opinion of the author. Notice the lack of an “Opinion/Analysis” section at the bottom?

      • Third…He doesn’t need to.

        LNP is so far behind in the propaganda war, no one is listening to Mitch or the organ grinder.

      • As that would be a clear admission that “big, bad, all their fault Labor” were the one’s who actually had the better insight to instigate an NBN roll out…

        Oh wait.

        You’re welcome.

      • Yes it is!

        The current “solution” is the MTM – Malcolm Turnbull Mess!

        25mbps by 2016 for 29.5 billion!

        No minimum speed, no timeframe and it’s costing 56+ billion now.

        There are 900,000 users – 95% are on the ALP’s nbn.

        On ever metric it’s failed!

  3. He just needs to seriously shut up! Typical of this lot to harp on about what the opposition’s plans are, all the while being absolutely clueless and running the project into the ground with their choices.

    MTM – Another thought bubble from Mal!

    • His job is to spin and protect the Hon. MT as best he can. If I had to guess and if LNP win the election Fifield may not keep the comm’s portfolio might be gifted something better etc.

  4. Here’s another way of looking forward at it.

    Under Labor’s existing policy, ~900,000 premises have activated FTTP, Wireless and Interim Satellite.

    Under Liberals policy, ~40,000 have activated on FTTN/FTTB/HFC. And I believe I’m still being generous with that number.

    Maybe Fifield should worry less about Labor and more about the abject failure of the Liberal policy to deliver.

    • The Labor NBN policy stopped in 2013, where are you starting from?

      Under Liberals policy, ~40,000 have activated on FTTN/FTTB/HFC. And I believe I’m still being generous with that number.

      Generous is not the word to describe being totally wrong, 120,000 FTTN premises are RFS, and they adding 8,000 per week, a product that was launched September last year.

          • Indeed, both make use of copper for the link to the residence, the Labor NBN Co wished they had done it but their version of FTTB using the MDU was included in their stats, apparently when it comes to RFS stats FTTP fan boys love a uneven comparison because the five month FTTN RFS figure compared to what the Labor NBN Co did in three years with FTTP causes the rapid blink-blink-blink syndrome in the poor old ‘Back to 2013’ supporters, rapidly approaching their long service leave of swearing, abuse and posting misleading figures.

          • Look devoid is buffering and making up stuff again.

            Look R0 apparently FTTB is now FTTP lol

          • alain/Reality/Dick.

            You support MTM of which FTTN is the major component at 29% (iirc) and FttDp is a whopping 0% component.

            So you support FTTN.

            But feel free to jump ship and admit FTTN is FAILED (exactly as we said) and that better than FTTN is needed (as we said).

            You’re welcome

          • FTTB and FTTN are the same because they both use copper hey?

            Alright, so the copper inside MDUs is the same copper in the streets now is it? Oh wait.. it isn’t? Internal use copper is different? Huh, who’d have thought….

            Many MDU’s use higher grade copper for their internal wiring. Providing substantially better results.

            Similar copper lengths are entirely different, ~20-50m (at a max) for FTTB, up to 1200m for FTTN. Yeah, they’re totally the same because they both use copper.

            Next you’ll be saying that FTTdp IS FTTN because it uses copper. You do know that the N in FTTN means “NODE” and, if you don’t have a NODE it isn’t FTTN right?

            “but their version of FTTB using the MDU was included in their stats”

            How many times am I going to have to tell you that Labor weren’t using FTTB?

            They were rolling out FTTP to 93% of the fixed line area, which included MDUs. It wasn’t FTTB, they would run fibre to each single unit in an MDU (which was a mistake, and they SHOULD have gone with FTTB).

            But you’ll once again ignore it, because you don’t read what others actually say and just parrot the same lies constantly.

          • poor old ‘Back to 2013’ supporters

            Better than being a “Back to 2003” FttN supporter Blink-blink-blink indeed :o)

          • “Maybe this will jog your memory and you’ll stop with the bullshit?”

            It wont, last article he spouted it I linked the release of FTTB as being in 2015, and he just then twisted that to mean that Labor were calling FTTB > FTTP.

            I am sure he will just twist that to suit his looney narrative too.

          • I am sure he will just twist that to suit his looney narrative too.

            I’m always amazed at how many loons conservative parties attract. They’d have to be about 35-40% of their base!

          • Maybe this will jog your memory and you’ll stop with the bullshit?

            Thanks for that link Tinman. Found an interesting quote from myself there (04/12/2011):

            You must be thinking of the coalitions patchwork plan which if implemented would be an unmitigated disaster.

            Nailed it!

          • You’re being too kind Jason, Baldrick can’t have buffering issues because there’s no brain there to buffer anything.

            Baldrick is a liberal party parrot and can only repeat liberal propaganda. It’s why he is so contradictory.

        • Jason K/Rizz,

          Only 30k on fttn the rest in FTTB

          Equals 120,000, your point is what?

          If the NBN Co say FTTN/FTTB RFS stats are 120,000 how does that change anything in terms of the end result and any comparison with Labor end of 2013 pathetic FTTP RFS figures?

      • Even it if its 120,000, this is far short of the 10,000,000 they promised.

        25 mbs – NOPE!
        2016 – NOPE!
        29.5 Billon – NOPE!

        It’s a failure of epic proportions!

        • Shhhhh.. Thats not a failure, the “targets have been revised”.

          Even though the sky was falling when FTTP targets were revised… Its perfectly fine for the funding to be almost double, and the timeline to be 4 years later than promised at the election with the “fully costed, ready to go, 25mbit to all, sooner, faster, cheaper” plan.

          Why? Because Reality is a hypocritical douchenozzle who wont admit his own hypocrisy. :-) <- Reality, this is bait. Ready for you to focus on namecalling instead of actually addressing why it is okay for the LNP to "revise the targets" so drastically, but when NBN Co did it under Labor it was the end of the world.

          • At least the Labor plan was to keep increasing the speeds. That LNP whore Morrow seems to want to keep increasing the amount of copper. I would have been more than happy to wait several years to eventually have the option of 1gbps. Not real happy having to wait years for 25mbps (guaranteed for 1 second a day) and likely end up with less than I have now.

      • “The Labor NBN policy stopped in 2013” In which case it’s taken that Ready to Roll MTM 2.5 years to get a mere 120K FTTN premises RFS.

        • Incorrect, FTTN was only commercially released September last year, Labor gained power in 2007 and FTTP was commercially released in 2010-2011.

          • Then if fttn is so fast why did it take then 2 years to start when Turnbull was ready to go day 1

          • ” FTTP was commercially released in 2010-2011.”

            And yet many times you have claimed that they did their rollout over 6 years… Which is it?

          • Can’t have it both ways mate. Was just applying your own twisted ‘logic’ as their FTTN policy commenced in 2013, was “Fully Costed, $27B, Ready to Roll & provide a minimum 25Mbps for all by 2016 wasn’t it?

          • An alternate Reality…
            We’re now spending $56B to purchase & renovate an old wreck that will incur huge annual maintenance costs in an attempt to perhaps get us on the road a little quicker for a few more years when we could have waited a bit longer & purchased a brand new top of the line vehicle for $45B.

    • Also seem to remember Malcolm Turnbullshit saying in opposition that there was no need for the 2 satellites that the NBN (under Labor) ordered. Now it appears he seems to think a third one shall be necessary.

      “Under Liberals policy, ~40,000 have activated on FTTN/FTTB/HFC”
      Under Liberals policy, ~40,000 have activated on FTTN/FTTB/(Telstra)Foxtel Cable/Optus Cable. After all, none of them appear to talk to each other except the fibre which doesn’t have the backhaul to the node to supply a street full of subscribers at the minimum speed. I can’t see my 10mbps actually increasing but rather decreasing. But what’s all the complaining about, they will still get their obscene pensions even though they will have cost the taxpayer billions of $$$ on this project alone. Make Dutton’s $6Million movie look like a bargain; what another waste.

  5. Good to see that the Libs still think they are in opposition, I guess that’s what happens when you’ve got nothing constructive to offer!

  6. The Libs have a cunning, opposition-like, attack dog plan – possibly with data supplied by …, if Labor claim all FTTP policy. They’re just trying to goad Labor into saying it to allow them to kick off the attack plan to take pressure off themselves.

  7. http://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-is-what-labor-will-likely-do-with-the-nbn-if-it-gets-elected-2016-4
    Speaking at the CommsDay summit yesterday, shadow minister for communication Jason Clare said that he believes rolling out fibre to the distribution point is the way the NBN should head.

    While Labor hasn’t officially announced its NBN policy for the upcoming election, Clare spoke strongly for the FTTdp rollout and against most other options.

    “Fibre to the driveway provides download speeds that are up to 10 times faster than Malcolm Turnbull’s fibre to the node network,” he said.

    • Hilarious how that article doesn’t even mention HFC … despite it being one third of the rollout, and probably the biggest issue for the MTM.

      Most people simply do not understand that the MTM policy *changed* following the 2013 Election to include HFC. Most people simply think “Fibre to the Node” when they think about the Coalition’s NBN policy.

      *sigh*

      • Well Renai considering the HFC is locked in until Foxtel decides not to use it thanks to Malcolm. We are stuck with.

          • Wow devoid I didn’t know stan and Netflix was going to pay for there only frequencies on the HFC.

            Wrong wrong wrong
            Comment invalid

          • “Pay TV is not locked to HFC, ask Netflix and Stan TV.”

            You’re correct, but currently, Foxtel is using HFC, and NBN Co is locked in to pay for maintenance until such time as Foxtel decides to stop using the HFC.

            Talking about Netflix and Stan is irrelevant.

            Now, Foxtel could turn their service into an IPTV service sure, but they haven’t made any moves to do that even for the current FTTP serviced areas….. So… what makes you think they’re suddenly going to do that now?

          • Ronin,

            Foxtel could turn their service into an IPTV service sure, but they haven’t made any moves to do that

            FFS do your home work before mouthing off, wrong AGAIN, FOXTEL could drop HFC and move to a total IPTV model very easily, with Telstra wanting to get rid of their FOXTEL interest I expect this will come sooner than later.

            http://www.zdnet.com/article/foxtel-launches-iptv-service/#!

          • I stand corrected, I didn’t know Foxtel Play exists.

            Foxtel Play existing doesn’t change the fact though, that as long as Foxtel continue using the HFC, NBN Co is bound to pay the maintenance on it until such time as Foxtel move everything over to Foxtel Play.

            You were correct though, that they aren’t locked to HFC, but if they’re not paying for the maintenance of it… Why wouldn’t they keep using it?

            (See that line at the top of my comment? Something you’ll never let pass from your fingers when typing out a comment. An admittance of being wrong. Oh, I forgot, you’re always right.)

          • Oh, and also:

            FFS do your home work before mouthing off

            Just when I think you’ve reach peak hypocrisy, you go and find a quantum level in it!! Congratulations!

      • Most people don’t care about HFC because they don’t have it. Only people with it (a minority) or those who care about the overall project have an interest.

        • Well sure, they might be a minority with it right now, but once all that Telstra/Optus HFC is rebranded as NBN HFC, and a third of the country is using it, more people might have issue with it.

      • Most people simply think “Fibre to the Node” when they think about the Coalition’s NBN policy.

        It’s understandable. This is the one they made the most noise about.

        Then there is the other extreme most people still associate “NBN” with FttP. Coalition clowns seem happy for that to continue. GimpCo and ISP TV adverts should be more honest though.

      • I don’t think HFC is a shoo in just yet, though I’d still guess it will factor in the Labor policy.
        – Internal document leaks it seems that the cost of HFC has increased substantially
        – Optus HFC is already being overbuilt in locations with FTTN
        – Morrow also seems to be backing away from HFC infill, instead suggesting FTTN
        – To top it off the lawyers are still involved.

        At the very least I expect HFC to be less than the SR or Corporate Plans either way. Labor still could determine FTTdP is more cost effective and continues to remove the Telstra barrier per their original policy. Also politically if they factor in HFC, then they’ll be open to attack that the MTM was right

        • I don’t think it’s that dave it’s just that if they are not going to use it they still have to keep it going for Foxtel

          • @Jason

            Telstra Cable was always going to remain for period of time for foxtel, even with Labor policy. Now it’s a question whether NBN will use it and for what coverage.

          • Yes dave but now NBN is responsible for keeping it running not Telstra whether they use it or not NBN has to keep it going for Foxtel.

          • Yep, just like the CAN, when we bought the network, we bought the high cost Maintenance… Now that was smart thinking…

            *facepalm*

          • Telstra had a deal with Foxtel for about another 10 years.

            NBN deal with Foxtel is having to keep the HFC running until Foxtel decides not to use it.

      • That perception is also a good thing. It puts everyone’s focus on that segment of the NBN that needs changing the most. The only positive about FTTN is that it is an interim solution only, quick and dirty and will satisfy people for just a few years. Any upgrade to it requires another new NBN, with a price tag to match. But as Dave Cooper points out, there are big question marks over HFC as well.

      • Most people simply do not understand that the MTM policy *changed* following the 2013 Election to include HFC. Most people simply think “Fibre to the Node” when they think about the Coalition’s NBN policy.

        I agree Renai (I think). The only sensible part of Malcolms plan was the addition of HFC with DOCSIS 3.1.

        The FttN part of it sucks big…er…willies. The best thing he could do to salvage any “tech cred” (and hence any actual credibility) would be to switch the FttN portion to FttDP. But then, he does seem to be coming out as a super incompetent at everything else (kind of a shame really, everyone had such high hopes of him), so I don’t hold any real hope for him there. I’m expecting more of Clare however…

        • Was it really that sensible?

          We have bought the networks now, which means we must maintain, and presumably eventually decommission them.

          In addition we have to now identify Tech to shoe horn them into the network.

          And eventually it would need to be replaced.

          Strikes me that again simply going FTTP now, would have been the more economically responsible option.

    • Labor can wait until the government self immolates along with its MTM and then make a policy announcement when the electorate is more likely to be listening. It seems to be starting to happen with News Ltd already.

  8. Be under no illusions that this is pure election maneuvering. Instead of attempting to form a bipartisan approach to important nation building opportunities such as an NBN, all sides of politics will attempt to gain the advantage or suppress it as an issue by pretending to have the same position as their opponents.
    The reality (sorry to use that word – unfortunately its namesake in this forum uses it rather like 1984-speak) is that the opportunity has been lost through mistakes from Labor and pure politicking bastardry from the Coalition. They will play to their audience using slogans and media grabs whilst quietly leaving the mess (anyone saying it’s anything else other than a mess is lying or is ignorant) for a future generation to fix…… Not unlike most issues facing the country today…… Hang your heads in shame – u know who u are. I’m comforted by the universal truth ‘what goes around comes around’

  9. Labor’s lack of an officially released policy is infuriating. The clock is ticking, Fifield is going hard at scoring points, two-party-preferred polling is about 50-50 and Turnbull is faltering. The time is now.

    Labor could be the party to bring hope to the election if they realise it. (They just need another leader)

    • The thing is, isn’t MTM simply just a reframing of Beazley’s/Labor’s original plan in 2007 that grants something on the order of $20 billion to Telstra and also claims the satellite and FTTP that Labor moved forward? Is MTM really anything that wasn’t proposed by Labor and the competing plans proposed at that time? FTTdp is the closest thing that is really new, but even that is derivative technology. Liberals just looking for more ideas because their heads are all frozen solid.

      • I don’t believe the original Labor FTTN plan(Dubbed Fraudband by then coalition by the by). called for any reuse of networks other than the CAN.

        I think essentially the original concept was to simply pay telstra to upgrade to enable FTTN across the CAN. But Telstra were only willing to do that if they could build themselves a new closed monopoly. Which of course didn’t fly.

        I don’t think the HFC networks were considered at all. Altho that may have changed had the plan moved beyond the Telstra Roadblock. Certainly there would have been some degree of Fixed wireless and Satellite to be used no matter the solution, simply because there are areas that have no CAN and it is no economically feasible to wire them up (copper or Fibre).

    • They won’t be changing leaders and are now leading in the polls.

      As for a policy – they will announce it closer to the election.

      It will be better than mtm – anything is!

      Although they may not be 100% certain about what is in place until they are in government – the nbn isn’t exactly transparent.

      • @ James +1 excellent point.

        “It will be better than mtm – anything is!”

        Indeed.. the minion(s) here keep asking (as he/they sit on Mitch’s knee and Mitch drinks a glass of water)… but when he/they actually receive, they’ll of course have the audacity and mind dumbing stupidity, to whinge, whine and complain.

        Even though, as you rightly say, what ever it is, it can’t help but be better than their chosen MTM/FRAUDBAND/NODAFAIL complete fuck up….

    • Tony Abbott ….. Buffering issues – Gold! There was also a piece on the 7.30 report which I haven’t got round to watching yet.

      • I though that was great too.

        The 7:30 Morrow gives the best description the “NBN is good enough to meet current needs” except it will be 4 years late

        • But the bloody non existent thing is NOT even good enough to meet current needs.

    • Hilarious and so true. He destroyed the coalition clowns quite easily. Copper fanboy knuckle draggers in disarray foaming at the mouth over this clip already.

      • Too right Hubert.

        I’m sure they’ll be along shortly complaining that he didn’t use the correct numbers.

    • Curious to see if the more combative elements of the MSM hitch their wagons together and zone in on Turnbulls MTM on the back of his brilliant economic management skills. He seems to have flown too close to the sun and the party might be winding up.

  10. What a Donald Duck.
    Even Dolan is doing better job than this guy. What a shame.

    Go Jason Clare! Show him some backbone!

  11. It’s almost like he’s admitting that the LPA is so incompetent that they can’t head Labor off at the FTTdp and ‘skinny fibre’ “pass”.

    How sad.

    I guess Mal is so wedded to the political FttN bride he is willing for Mitch to look like a total tool defending it’s honour….

  12. A quick check on how Mitch Fifeld voted on key issues that will affect all children in this country, ten twenty, thirty years hence. This shows the man in question, is in severe denial of many things! This includes the basic laws of physics and the properties of matter in this universe.

    Ah ignorance be bliss, when you are a member of the coalition of nimby conservative mononeurons.

    After that digression, back to the basics.

    The latest round of coalition leaked documents shows the coalition plan of fibre to node/mini node is a total fiasco. The latest claimed broadband speeds of 5Gbs is clearly divorced from reality of the real world. In addition, the plan will not even come close to the claimed “all user” connection date. Plus, the additional crippling fact is, it will be severely well and truly over the claimed budget by a very large amount indeed. Who would have thought, conservative mononeurons are incapable of balancing the books, and always under estimate the true costs by magnitudes.

    Little wonder, he attacks the Labor Party, when in reality, his own party is now rapidly losing popular support at all levels! Lose the womans’ vote in politics and you die! The coalition, may achieve the dubious honor of the party who deliberately set out to fail to win a second term. Some conservative mononeuron coalition members, truly love to stick their foot in their mouth whilst simultaneously sticking their head up their own posterior.

    As they say, you pays for what you get and gets what you pay for, in world where there is no free lunch!

  13. Labour had a plan and vision you one sided muppet. It was aptly named FTTH! Another Dinosaur (Fifield) who hasn’t got a clue. Go and sit down with Tony and Mal (who invented the interwebz in Oz) and hatch something will you. Nothing will save Murdoch and his failing Foxtel!

  14. And does anyone else find the current government still acting like an opposition, after 3 years, a bit weird? It’s like they have no ideas for themselves and need Labor to give them some direction (i.e. the opposite of what Labor will do).

  15. Have to laugh at all the Labor apologists dancing around the issue of zero comment from Labor on what their NBN model will be, I am not talking about policy, although the Coalition released their policy in April 2013 will before the September election and it was known well before then they intended to use FTTN and reuse HFC subject to negotiation,

    They did negotiate and got the copper and HFC infrastructure for the same price Labor were paying to have it shut down and overbuild it with expensive brownfields FTTP.

    Clare has said FTTN is a failure, ok announce in the next sentence that Labor is going to halt it the week after they win Government, what’s the problem?

    Labor have talked about FTTdp, ok announce that FTTN will stop and be replaced by FTTdp, what’s the problem?

    Are you going to keep HFC or not? what’s the problem in making this announcement now?

    Plenty of haters of the Coalition MtM, but they seem quite content living in a fantasy bubble that the tooth fairy will make it all better.

    • Lol devoid can you point out in the policy where they said would use HFC lol.

      How about point out that it was going to be complete by 2020.

      How about it cutting up to $56B that got to be in there pre election policy doesn’t it.

      But devoid the election was announced in February 2013 so far the election hasn’t been announced

    • “April 2013 will before the September election ”

      They sure did… But only after the election was actually announced. Yet you expect Labor should release their policy now, before an election has been announced? Thats a little hypocritical of you, don’t you think?

      The Liberals sat around slandering the Labor NBN for years without producing anything, and only pulled out the “ready to go $29Bn 25Mbit for all by 2016, cheaper faster sooner” lie after the election was announced. Yet, that was perfectly fine with you, but even though we’ve not even got a date for the next election, you expect Labor to release their plans? Kay.

      • Baldrick doesn’t know any better unfortunately, he’s a bit like a rock, no self awareness at all, it’s amazing he can even breath.

    • Labor aren’t in government Alain, they only need to release policies when an election is called.

    • Plenty of haters of the Coalition MtM

      Of course, it’s current configuration is crap.

      • Indeed Tinman. Crap is an understatement though. I remember there were many haters of the correct FttP plan. Interesting that is what they hated, something superior yet expect us to like something vastly inferior.

        • @HT

          Whilst we have had a bit of fun with your mate MM, 50/12 Mathew, because of his clinging to estimations…

          At least he argued over something “he” believed in, regardless of how naive and wrong it turned out to be.

          Kudos for conviction if nothing else…

          Whereas our other friend alain here, has sadly never had a thought of his own and simply parrots whatever the Coalition’s latest spiel is.

          Look back and see the endless line of cliches, we don’t need, white elephant, the taxpayer can’t afford a Rolls Royce network because of “Labors” wastage and debt and deficit crisis…

          *sigh*

          Then looky here, where he is mindlessly parroting Mitch (The Hof) Fifield, almost word for word, now.

          Sad/pitiful in a sorry way HT, when someone so needs a political party, organisation or whatever to think for them as they obviously don’t have the balls nor intelligence to think and then deduce on their own.

    • Head wobble, head wobble…. [extended silence]…

      You got the answer you deserved… alain

      You’re welcome

  16. The Liberals have blown the money and set the traps to prevent fibre to defend Foxtel and Murdoch. Meanwhile Telstra has run with the money. A crime.

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