Gillard acknowledges NBN victory
- 07 September, 2010 18:17
- Comments 3
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett launching the National Broadband Network in Tasmania earlier this year.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard invited Australians to reflect on the significance of Labor's National Broadband Network project going ahead, with its potential to deliver equivalent telecommunications pricing for the bush with metropolitan Australia.
The decision by rural independents, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, to support Labor and form government means the NBN is likely to go ahead, both citing the flagship project as one of the key reasons they decided to support Labor over the Coalition.
One aspect of the deal between Labor and the duo is that wholesale pricing equivalence will apply between rural areas and the city.
"People should take a moment to have the force and significance of this to settle into their minds," Gillard said during a press conference.
Gillard claimed that people living in regional Australia currently paid more for telecommunications — due to the cost of long distance calling, for example. But she said this would change under the NBN.
"Whether you're on the broadband in Tamworth or on the broadband in CBD Sydney, the wholesale price on broadband will be the same," she said, noting it would "equalise" the cost of telecommunications in Australia.
"What it means is that every Australian is going to get access to the same wholesale price and opportunity ... this is unparalleled since the days when we were talking about building railroads."
The Prime Minister did face questions on the matter, however, with one journalist claiming the deal might mean that the pricing equivalence would mean city dwellers would need to subsidise those living in regional areas.
Another aspect of the deal between Labor and the independents is that the NBN will be rolled out in order from the bush to city areas, rather than the other way around.
Gillard wouldn't be drawn on the details of how NBN Co's rollout would change, noting that although Labor would be working with NBN Co on the rollout to make it a priority for regional Australia, there were some "commercial in confidence" aspects to arrangements which she couldn't talk about.
And the PM mentioned one final matter relating to telecommunications — the matter of how the cabinet would be reshuffled after the Labor victory.
Gillard said she would be working through the cabinet posts with her "leadership team" — including Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan, Immigration Minister Chris Evans and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.
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Comments
Simon
Of course city dwellers will subsidise those in regional areas, this is hardly new in this field. It's been that case with telephone lines for a long time.
If we didn't have that model, established by government, and just left it to the free market economists, then many in regional areas wouldn't even have a phone line today that was affordable.
D Newman
@Simon and you have wrapped up rather nicely one of the main reasons I supported the NBN.
And here is a juicy morsel from yesterday, the Indies did not secure this deal, this was said to make them look better.
We were lead to believe this was always the way it was going to work going back to last year, it was one of the reasons I was so supportive of the Labor/NBN.co plan, because of the level playing field, which many just thought meant the business with Telstra, but it was more than just that.
masealake
Will Julia Gillard’s re-elected Labor Party government fixed voters voices, pains and crying?
The historical hung parliament demonstrated deep in voter’s heart a fixed must to carry on in vision and action immediately:
Voters’ voices do not hear?
Voters’ pains do not ease?
Voters’ cries do not care?
1. Poverty will not be phase out if no fairer resources to share;
2. Illness will not be reducing if no preventive measurement in real action;
3. Agriculture will not be revitalize if urbanization continuing its path;
4. Housing affordability will not be reach for young generation if government continues cashing from young generation debt by eating out the whole cake of education export revenue without plough back;
5. Manufacture industry will shrink smaller and smaller if no new elements there to power up to survive;
6. Employability will not in the sustainable mode for so long as manufacture and agriculture not going to boost.
Ma kee wai
(Member of Inventor Association Queensland since 1993)
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