iiNet bankrolls Tech Wired's FoI assault on NBN panel's report

Stuart Corner
Friday, 27 February 2009 01:13

IT Industry - Market

iiNet has agreed to fund the estimated $3600 cost of a request under freedom of information for access to the NBN Expert Panel's report to the minister, initiated by news web site Tech Wired.

Tech Wired lodged the request and received a cost estimate from the Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy of over $3600 to act on the request. It enthusiastically reported this development under the rather erroneous headline "BREAKING: Government Sells Out, Will Release NBN Report for $3,631.99."

However it was clear from the DBCDE responses posted on Tech Wired's website that payment of the funds and formal application for the document is no guarantee that all or even any of the report would be made available: the fee was simply "for processing the request".

iiNet CEO, Michael Malone offered to fund the FoI application in a posting to the article's comment section saying: "If iiNet covered the cost of the FoI, could you then release the report publicly?"
Tech Wired later announced that "After talks with iiNet's chief regulatory officer, Steve Dalby, iiNet has agreed to cover the costs for Tech Wired Australia to continue to pursue the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) under the Freedom of Information Act for documents it won't release before tendering, relating to the Nation's National 4.7 billion dollar Broadband Network."

Communications minster Stephen Conroy has commited to releasing the report in full once the NBN contract is awarded but has refused a request from shadow minister Nick Minchin to do so earlier saying that to do so would compromise the NBN RFP process.

When he received the report in late January he said: "The disclosure of the contents of the Panel of Experts' report before the completion of the process, particularly any negotiation phase, has the potential to prejudice the outcome of the process. As such, the Government will not be commenting on the contents of the report."

The NBN Expert Panel was responsible for assessing responses to the RFP and making recommendations to the minister and his department on which bid or bids to accept. Its report has been submitted and is being assessed. Conroy has indicated that he could announce a decision as early as March.