[LINK] Greens seek release of secret NBN business plan

[Kim Holburn]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/16/3067426.htm

> Greens seek release of NBN business plan
> 
> By Sabra Lane
> 
> The Greens are trying to force the Federal Government to produce the business plan for its controversial National Broadband Network before Parliament rises for the year.
> http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/201011/20101116-AM1-nbnheatconroy.mp3
> 
> The Government received the plan on Monday last week.
> 
> Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has been briefed on the plan and will release the 400-plus page report after Cabinet has considered it and after information deemed commercial in confidence has been removed.
> 
> But Greens communications spokesman Scott Ludlam says his party will move to try and force its release today.
> 
> "The Minister has effectively made every Australian a shareholder in a $43 billion broadband network," he said.
> 
> "I think they have an obligation to put that material into the public domain while Parliament is sitting, not after we've got up for the summer break.
> 
> "There's a mechanism in the Senate called an order for production of documents - we'll be moving that instrument to make sure that the business case and also the Government's response to the earlier implementation study [are released].
> 
> "We've never actually seen a formal Government response to whether they agree with the figures and the dollars that are in there.
> 
> "We'll be demanding that the minister table both of those documents before the end of this week."
> 
> The minister can ignore the request to release the documents "but it puts him at risk of being in contempt of the Senate which is a pretty serious thing to do," Mr Ludlam said.


-- 
Kim Holburn
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