[LINK] Turnbull smoking something affecting his sanity over NBN

[Jan Whitaker]

[This is what got me: "it would be likely in my view, and it's not an 
uninformed view, to take over 20 years to complete, and a hundred 
billion dollars,'' Mr Turnbull said.]

Public will get time to scrutinise NBN policy: Turnbull

Tim Lester
Published: March 15, 2013 - 9:40AM

Malcolm Turnbull has promised to release the Coalition's plans for a 
national broadband network ''months'' before the September 14 
election to allow for scrutiny of the policy and its costings.

The undertaking from the communications spokesman goes further than 
the usual opposition response to questions on when key election 
policies will be made public this year - which is to simply say ''in 
good time''.

''You can never criticise me for not providing a lot of detail,'' Mr 
Turnbull said in an interview with Fairfax Media's Breaking Politics.

''Australians will have more than adequate time to consider our 
policy and debate it.''

When asked whether this meant it would be released ''months'' before 
the poll, he replied, ''definitely''.

In a Senate estimates hearing recently, NBN Co confirmed that they 
expected their broadband rollout to have passed 286,000 homes by June 
this year.

''The cost of this NBN, in reality, will shock people. If this NBN 
were to proceed with its construction on the basis of the 
government's plan, it would be likely in my view, and it's not an 
uninformed view, to take over 20 years to complete, and a hundred 
billion dollars,'' Mr Turnbull said.

''This is the most reckless exercise in commonwealth investment . . . 
in our history.  To embark on a project like this with no budget, no 
cost benefit analysis. They have never said there is a limit to what 
you can spend.''

Mr Turnbull also said he doubted anything in the Coalition plan would 
surprise people.

''We will speed up the roll out. We will deliver the completion of 
the NBN sooner and at less cost to the Commonwealth and therefore of 
course, it will be more affordable to users,'' he said.

This story was found at: 
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/public-will-get-time-to-scrutinise-nbn-policy-turnbull-20130315-2g4dj.html 



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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