Labor wins: NBN TO GO AHEAD

Jenna Pitcher
Tuesday, 07 September 2010 17:00

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

Microsoft Office 365

The broadband policy which the Coalition has repeatedly described as a “white elephant” gained its freedom today with the long-awaited news that Labor will form government with the support of the Greens and three independent MPs.

Labor’s victory means the $43 billion National Broadband Network (NBN) will push ahead and the Coalition’s own national broadband policy — the $6 billion dollar project that was announced in early August — has been poached, skinned and mounted.

Two of the remaining independent MPs who confirmed their vote for Labor this afternoon — Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor — said at a press conference today that broadband was a key issue in their final decisions.

Windsor said that broadband was a key issue in his decision on who to back in the Australian election. “The most critical issue was broadband,” Windsor said right off the bat. “Can’t miss the opportunity for millions of Australians.” Oakshott had announced his decision after Windsor’s and also referred to Labor’s broadband plan as a factor.

Windsor said the independents had also won significant concessions from Labor with respect to the NBN. “In relation to the NBN there will also be equity in terms of wholesale pricing across country areas,” he said. “And it will be a roll-in, not roll-out — it’s now a broadband roll-in,” added Oakeshott, referring to a broadband build strategy where rural areas would receive NBN fibre services first — not metropolitan areas.

In relation to whether the independents would force Labor to a different rollout schedule for the NBN, Oakeshott said it wasn’t the independent’s choice — their support for Labor was really just based on the fact that they would not support no confidence motions or block supply — all other legislation was up for debate.