In all the speculation about the likely make-up of the Gillard Cabinet, there is one sure thing: Stephen Conroy will retain the Communications portfolio. And that's a good thing for the sector, which will no doubt welcome the continuity.

Tony Abbott has consigned the party of regional Australia – The Nationals – to the sidelines for the Coalition's negotiations with three rural independent MPs on forming Government, effectively cutting them out of any discussion on broadband in the bush.

Opinion: After an election campaign in which starkly different plans for Australia's broadband future have provided a clear choice between Gillard Labor and the Coalition, on balance, the tech sector’s best interests are served if the Government is returned.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has pinned Labor's re-election hopes on a neatly woven narrative about the transformation of the Australian economy and delivery of government services that puts its National Broadband Network at the core of the final week of campaigning.

After a difficult start to the re-election campaign, Julia Gillard and Federal Labor are back on the front foot, and they can thank the stark policy choice being offered by the major parties on broadband for the leg-up.

The Coalition's "grab bag of policies" on broadband was too heavily reliant on wireless technologies that cannot deliver the speeds and capacity needed for future healthcare, education and business applications, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says.

Tony Abbott's $6.3 billion broadband plan "falls at the first hurdle" because it did not address the structural reform of the industry and would stifle competition in the telecommunications sector, the Competitive Carriers Coalition has warned.

The Coalition will spend $6.3 billion on a mix of fibre, cable and wireless technologies to deliver "affordable high-speed broadband" nationwide by 2016 with minimum speeds of 12Mbps.  

The Australian tech sector awoke this morning bathed in the warmth of Coalition love after leader Tony Abbott unveiled ambitious communications and IT programs to underpin economic strength, productivity growth and wealth creation for generations to come… No wait, hang on. That's not right.

Tony Smith must be a little miffed that shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey took it on himself to announce Coalition policy on the internet filter.