Coalition to oppose NBN regardless: Smith

James Riley
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 14:20

IT Policy - Regulation

The Coalition will continue to oppose the construction of the National Broadband Network regardless of whether the $25 million KPMG-McKinsey implementation study puts forward a reasonable business case for the Government plan.

Opposition communications spokesman Tony Smith told a CommsDay forum in Sydney today that the implementation study was not charged with seeking the most cost effective way to improve broadband in Australia - but rather to look only at Government's "one-size-fits-all" fibre plan.

Mr Smith says regardless of the findings of the implementation study, the Opposition intends to vote against the National Broadband Network Companies Bill 2010 if it is presented before the election.

"Whilst it may well put forward a business case under certain assumptions, that would not alter our view that the $43 billion NBN itself is not the best way forward, is not the most responsible and is not the most cost effective option for the taxpayer in achieving better broadband," he said.

The Coalition remained philosophically opposed to an interventionist plan in which Government both builds and owns infrastructure that was better provided by the private sector.

And the negotiations with Telstra to acquire network infrastructure - should they succeed - represented an unwanted re-nationalising of the telephone network (a proposition that simply did not make sense, given it was the Coalition that just privatised the company.)