Broadband rollout in the bush to be pushed for

Key cross-bench senators have said that the building of the $43 billion national broadband network by the Federal Government could now hinge on the beginning of work in the bush.

It is understood that the introduction of legislation into Parliament is to be planned by the Federal Government by the year end, although it is likely that the proposal will take months to be scrutinized by the senate before this happens.

The passing of any kind of legislation related to this project will be an uphill fight for Labor, with the project being attacked as an expensive waste of money by the Liberal Party and the Independent MP, Steve Fielding.

The Government may get the numbers it needs following indications by the Greens, Nationals Fiona Nash and Barnaby Joyce and Independent MP Nick Xenophon that they might back the project.

As long as the Government would be willing to make key concessions Senator Nash said that she may back the project. A call for government investment in a broadband infrastructure had been made in a position paper by the Page Research Centre in 2005 she said.

She said ”The very clear difference is that the report clearly focused on the priority of delivering faster broadband to regional Australia. Farmers are missing out. Where competition is delivering a decent service in the cities, why spend taxpayers’ dollars on propping up a market where the private sector is delivering? But I will look at the legislation when it comes in, and if the Government commits to the rollout starting in the bush then I will be happy to look at it.”

Senator Joyce also said the project ”delivers a strategic infrastructure outcome” which echoes Nash’s comments.

The idea of the Government building a ”fundamental piece of national infrastructure” was also supported by Senator Xenophon. He said ”I’m concerned about the financial viability we are going from a horse and buggy to a Ferrari so we need to see the feasibility of it, we need a thorough process in the Senate to examine it with rigor.”