[LINK] Benefits of a digital economy enabled by the National Broadband Network

[George Bray]

On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 7:15 AM, Stilgherrian <stil at stilgherrian.com> wrote:

> I find it interesting that when he steers away from the prepared talking points, he twice mentions "destruction of wealth" in relation to the international fibre over-build of the late 20th century. The viewpoint is very much that of the investment banker: the money should have been invested elsewhere for the better short-term gain.
>
> There's nothing wrong with that viewpoint, of course, at least in the right context. The very question is whether this is the right context.
>
> Stil
>

Yes, I find the coalition's determination of the NBN's value in only
financial terms to very tiresome. It surely plays well to the half of
the country where nothing should be done if it won't be worth more
dollars down the track. Turnbull's comparison between a
corporate/shareholder investment and a national/citizen investment
marks the delineation of left and right political mantras pretty well.

I saw this on the latest Q&A too, where Christopher Pyne phrased his
comments in terms of taxpayers, not citizens. It's a fine point but it
neatly shows who the intended beneficiaries are in any discussion on
national investment and the "return" to those who pay.



George Bray, Canberra, Australia. http://geobray.com