[LINK] NBN: Visionstream in Tassie

[Roger Clarke]

[It seems that Turnbull's inherited some problems with contractor 
qualifications - and possibly with the original tender documents?]


Turnbull claims NBN work stalled in Tasmania
Allie Coyne
itNews
Oct 8, 2013 12:07 PM (1 hour ago)
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/359744,turnbull-claims-nbn-work-stalled-in-tasmania.aspx

Clarifies work has "slowed".

Communications minister Malcolm Turnbull has hit out at Visionstream 
for allegedly slowing work on the national broadband network in 
Tasmania, due to issues with subcontractors and Telstra pit 
remediation work.

Turnbull told ABC local radio today Visionstream had "basically 
downed tools" for at least two months. 

A Visionstream spokesperson has been contacted by iTnews for comment.

Visionstream won a $300 million contract with NBN Co in March last 
year that would see 200,000 Tasmanian homes and businesses connected 
to fibre within four years. 

Turnbull said that contract had been "dead in the water as far as 
progress is concerned in Tasmania for months" and he had not seen any 
reports of progress. 

He said the project had been "failing Tasmanians".

A spokesperson for Turnbull later clarified with iTnews that 
Visionstream's work on the Tasmanian rollout hadn't stopped 
completely but had been "very slow and patchy". 

The spokesperson said the number of sites in operation was "not 
substantial at all", and attributed the slowed work to Telstra pit 
remediation and pay disputes with subcontractors. 

Telstra was forced to halt pit-and-pipe remediation work in May for 
more than two months, after several cases of unsafe asbestos handling 
were discovered with contractors. 

Visionstream was similarly forced to stop work on pit remediation in 
Tasmania during that time. The stop-work became the catalyst for 200 
workers being let go by Visionstream subcontractors who weren't able 
to pay them, following long-running disputes over pay. 

The Coalition government has recently begun a 60 day strategic review 
on the NBN which will show "how long it will take and how much it 
will cost to complete the NBN on the current specifications".

It will put forward options for a faster and more cost effective 
project, including how to revise the technology of the NBN from 
Labor's fibre-to-the-home model to the Coalition's preferred 
fibre-to-the-node.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 2 6288 6916                        http://about.me/roger.clarke
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Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University