Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 02 May 2008 08:46
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
Roozendaal’s statement is further quoted in the AAP article, where Roozendaal notes what was already well known long before the NSW Government’s broken promise of free Wi-Fi was even floated in the first place.
Roozendal said that: “Most [free Wi-fi] schemes sponsored by overseas governments have collapsed and require further funding to the tune of tens of millions of US dollars. With technology changing so quickly I cannot expose NSW taxpayers to that sort of risk.”
Oh, Mr Roozendaal, you are an experienced politician, or at least, experienced in political speak. Were you – or your colleagues - that technologically inept back in 2006 that you didn’t realise this?
So, what specific excuse has Roozedaal given for now suggesting that free Wi-Fi is a bad idea?
Roozendaal then basically gives one of the reasons I gave way back in 2006 upon hearing of the NSW Government’s latest plan to waste taxpayer money on ‘feel good’ sounding projects, conveniently just before a state election.
Roozendaal’s statement is quoted as stating: "Given those experiences and the fact that most cities in NSW already have free WiFi points in libraries and in some commercial centres like hotels and cafes, it would be an inappropriate use of taxpayer US dollars to continue this investigation."
I don’t know if the AAP has simply misquoted Minister Roozendaal, or if Roozendaal really did say “taxpayer US dollars to continue this investigation”, but if he did, I’m happy to remind him that we use Australian dollars in, er... Australia.
Of course, the NSW opposition was quick to denounce the Government, as all opposition parties almost always do, without fail.
Please read onto page 3.
