Gillard cautions against "savage" NBN cuts

By Ry Crozier on Aug 31, 2010 2:35 PM
Filed under Telco/ISP

Regional investment highlighted.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has argued that the national broadband network should not be cut or savaged "just when it's making a real difference".

In a speech to the National Press Club today, Gillard emphasized the percentage of infrastructure investment a Labor Government had committed to regional areas of Australia.

She said the Australian Labor Party had a "big agenda for the future and much of it is already underway... like the national broadband network."

"This is not a time to be uprooting those outstanding programs and making savage cuts just when they are making a real difference," Gillard said.

"What's needed is continuity, certainty and delivery. I believe that I can provide that continuity, stability and certainty."

She said she was "convinced" an ALP minority government could build on existing programs and "build a new paradigm for regional development".

Gillard cautions against "savage" NBN cuts

7 comments in this discussion

"Wow I thought Australia was a fairly well informed country. Well it seems like most of us have our heads stuck in the sand. It appears some people think that the Australian government was the ..."

By DRUPS

Tags

julia, gillard, savage, national, broadband, network, cuts

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Comments: 7

laman Aug 31, 2010 4:30 PM	While I agree that Labor is not good at managing the money, they do have a vision of the future which Coalition Party lacks. You can see policies from Coalition is mainly for winning the government, not for Australian's future.
carl Aug 31, 2010 4:47 PM	I agree Liberals are all about pandering trying to create the perfectly neutral image, yet are unable to make tough decisions. Labor does overspend, but in reality that money they waste is passed at least partially through the australian economy into our pockets in one way or another. Shonky builders on the Building Schools spent the money at the pub or buying cars, at harvey norman etc. The main problem I see with Coalistion is just that they are 3 different parties National, Liberals and Country Liberals, they are already bikering over the discussions with the independants Nationals argue that the independants will erode their shared of liberal funding.
singo79 Aug 31, 2010 6:45 PM	I tend to agree with the both of you. The Liberals are all about trying to achieve their goals through mostly private investment, yet we have all seen how that went once they sold Telstra. I really do believe that the Labor Party's NBN is the best to date. It will deliver a next-gen network a decade or two ahead of its time and there will be no need to update the network for decades to come. Also the NBN delivers equal costs and services to a vast majority of Australians, with those that are out in the middle of nowhere and/or without broadband, will at least get a better outcome then they are in at the moment. Well only time will tell who's plan will eventually be the winner, I only hope that it is Labor's!
DazzaJ Aug 31, 2010 7:47 PM	The Labours plan is a sham. It offer little to no benefit to any rural areas besides the selected few where votes were needed. In country SA it doesn't even register on their plans outside Adelaide. The last thing Australia needs is an over expensive outdated white elephant with a minimum of 43 BILLION dollar debt, that will be paid for with yet more taxes and levys. Leave internet for the communication companies and get on with Australia's REAL problems.
Wakie Sep 1, 2010 2:10 PM	Outdated DazzaJ? Really?
davmel Sep 1, 2010 2:33 PM	@DazzaJ You sound like the usual myopic clueless Liberal party sheep. It's hilarious to claim that it will provide no benefit to rural areas when the Labor NBN will benefit 100% of Australian's. Every minor town throughout Australia with more than a few hundred people will be fully cabled with high speed fibre. Everyone else will get a wireless or sat solution that is vastly superior to what private industry could justify for their commercial returns. The NBN would provide a four billion dollar satellite option which no private company could ever remotely justify. Rural people will get totally screwed if left for private industry to service. The only thing that is outdated or a 'white elephant' is the Liberal party and any woefully inadequate wireless solution they will push to the suckers in the bush. Oh, and as for talking about real problems, you must be delusional to think that "stopping the boats" is a real problem for Australia. But obviously country people haven't learned from the experience of inferior communications just yet. We'll see how you feel about corroding copper lines and congested wireless for another 10 or 20 years.....
DRUPS Sep 1, 2010 8:36 PM	Wow I thought Australia was a fairly well informed country. Well it seems like most of us have our heads stuck in the sand. It appears some people think that the Australian government was the only government that seemed to waste money during one of the worlds major economic crises caleed the GFC & are thus labled as bad at managing money. Absolutely ludicrous. People should pull their heads out & learn more about what is happening around the world!!!