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Wednesday May 23, 2012

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The NBN - THE Big Issue

Posted by: Derryn Hinch | 17 August, 2010 - 4:12 PM
The internet's on computers these days - NBN debate

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THE DISCUSSION:

Play Audio - Hinch, experts, Nicole Roxon and your talkback

EDITORIAL: Who would have thunk it? Who would have thought a month ago, when Julia Gillard announced the election, that the issue in the final days wouldn’t be boat people, or ‘the greatest moral challenge of our time’ climate change, or the mining tax.

None of the things that Kevin Rudd’s government had ‘lost its way’ over. It would be an issue most Australians hadn’t really heard of when Gillard and Swan rolled Rudd: the NBN. The National Broadband Network.

Suddenly it’s the greatest imperative of our time. Unless the Government urgently starts rolling it out nationwide at a cost of $43 billion dollars our economy will go to hell in a hand basket, our health system will collapse. And we’ll end up somewhere between Bangladesh and Fiji on the world stage.

I said weeks ago, when Gillard started defending it and Abbott said he’d scrap it.

I can see the need for better, faster, continent-covering communications systems in this fast track world of iPhones and Twitter and data exchange.

But should the Government build it and the taxpayer pay for it? I’d rather private industry built it. Let Telstra or Optus or a combination pay for it.  Even by the Government’s rosiest estimates it won’t return a profit for 15 years and then it’ll be ‘a modest 6 per cent’. Let big business take the risks with some tax breaks and let the taxpayer off the hook. There is no guarantee the ABN will ever make a profit.

I said, and I still think this: I just keep thinking what $43 billion - four thousand three hundred million dollars - could do to make the quality of life better for hospital patients and old age pensioners.

Yesterday, in her delayed official launch of her campaign, Julia Gillard cleverly linked the NBN to the health crisis. She told a touching story of a little kid in the country with a rash, in the middle of the night, whose parents could have ‘a specialist in their own living room’ thanks to the NBN.

Why a doctor would be sitting at his computer at 3 o’clock in the morning wasn’t explained.

I’ve since learned that this sort of video doctoring is taking place now. One listener and his wife video conference with their IVF doctor in the United States via Skype. And it’s almost free.

That’s another issue in all this. When 97% of Australian households are connected, when the billions of taxpayers’ dollars have been expended, how much will it cost the consumer monthly through their service provider?

Prime Minister Gillard today couldn’t or wouldn’t say. Just said there would be lots of competition.

But anybody who has an iPhone and all those Apps – or a kid with access to a mobile and text messages – knows that your bills have skyrocketed.

And I haven’t mentioned wireless alternative. Or the scary fact that the last big rollout this government attempted involved pink batts and tinfoil.

Somebody convince me my skepticism is unfounded.

Derryn Hinch's Election Coverage

Derryn Hinch Derryn Hinch never leaves listeners wondering exactly what he thinks about political issues affecting us all. Don't miss any of his political head-kicking throughout this 'gloves off' 2010 campaign.

Blog comments Your Say

  • @Cheryl, Technology is changing daily.I have not doubts there will be major developments in wireless internet, just think back it was not long ago, the thought of getting any wireless connection was unheard of. Only time ewill tell.

    JOHN of Heathmont Thursday 19 August, 2010 - 9:08 AM

  • John wireless is an absolute joke, it wont get any better only worse as more use it, nor will satelite be of any help so luddites out there stop crapping on about NBN being no good and not required, try running a business with only wireless available, not everyone has broadband available to them.

    Cheryl Wednesday 18 August, 2010 - 3:44 PM

  • Hi Derryn,
    Welcome to 2010 & to some of your listeners that may be a shock..the industrial revolution has given way to globalization & now to the IT revolution..the NBN is revolutionary.!! Remember Super ( if thats a bad labor idea - Give you my account happy to accept it anytime)
    Medicare - labor( dont like it dont use it !)
    HECS - Labor ( dont like it, dont use it !)

    I can go on ..

    Wake up people there is a new age dawning - capture it now !!!

    Cheers

    Jerome Wednesday 18 August, 2010 - 2:10 PM

  • The Liberals' policy is always to pretend it's 1953 and anything that's happened since then is bad news. It worked for John Howard again and again but even survivalist luddites use the interweb on an hourly basis in 2010 so Abbott's gang (and Hinch) look like fools and charlatans. Next thing they'll be advocating the rhythm method and intelligent design.

    mylene Wednesday 18 August, 2010 - 11:16 AM

  • Technology on wireless is increasing daily and wirless will be as efficient as the NBN within 5 years.

    JOHN of Heathmont Wednesday 18 August, 2010 - 9:06 AM

  • Hi Derryn, great to talk with you this afternoon about the NBN. Thought I would follow up with a few extra points:

    - Skype doesn't offer good enough quality over normal connections to support applications like telemedicine; you need more bandwidth.

    - The NBN isn't just about downloading movies or playing games; it will provide a robust, effective pipe into every home and business that supports everything from business applications to TV. A fibre NBN would allow, among other things, Foxtel subscriptions for the 75% of households that cannot currently get Foxtel.

    - It's easy to crack on about the $43b cost but remember this will be over 8 years. At $5b per year it will actually only cost around the same as Abbott's paid parental leave scheme -- but Labor's NBN will deliver billions in future benefits, modernise the country's communications system, and create over 25,000 jobs -- mostly in the construction, civil engineering, and other accessible areas.

    - The private sector will not do this. Abbott believes it will, but that was Coalition policy through 11 years of Howard's administration. If Labor's NBN is not built, private investment will stop and companies will be counting the days until the next election.

    - Tony Abbott's plan will deliver basically no real changes until 2014 -- AFTER the next election.

    Out of space here but I invite you and your listeners to visit http://bit.ly/9BXvBM, where I am in the midst of a series of seven detailed analyses of Coalition policy. Look forward to seeing you all there.

    David Braue Tuesday 17 August, 2010 - 9:47 PM

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