PM Gillard talks up NBN at ABAL launch

David Swan
Wednesday, 28 September 2011 17:26

IT Industry - Development

 

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Minister for Broadband Senator Stephen Conroy were on hand today for the launch of the Australian Broadband Applications Laboratory (ABAL), a center established to assist businesses to develop broadband services.

 

 

Although certain services and applications been running for about a year now, the launch marks the official beginning of the overall program which will give businesses the ability to test and develop software specifically for the NBN.

Gillard described the NBN as key to dealing with Australia's aging population and took a swipe at the Opposition, saying "boosting Australia's productivity doesn't mean cutting wages and conditions, as if shaving a dollar or two off the hourly rates of shop assistants will make a bit of difference."

"It isn't about snatching a few lazy moves from the Thatcher era."

ABAL, located at the University of Melbourne's Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society (IBES), was officially announced by the Victorian State Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips on Tuesday 27th September.

The State Government has long been the primary financial backer of IBES, but was conspicuously absent for today's launch.

ABAL includes a mini-NBN of sorts, giving businesses the ability to conduct 'real life' testing.

'ABAL provides industry and not-for-profits with expertise that assists them to harness technologies, develop new ideas and test them in a real-world environment before going to market' said Rod Tucker, ABAL Director.

'ABAL provides a space for developing innovations that have the potential to impact on the whole economy'.

The facilities are available to a wide range of external organisations in different sectors, including health, education, retail, finance, manufacturing, mining and energy.