Economy
Tasmania’s NBN tangle is a shocking mess
analysis
The ongoing stoush over how the Coalition’s Broadband Network should be deployed in Tasmania shows Australia’s broadband tangle at its worst: Construction contractors who don’t deliver, overly optimistic promises and estimates, and politicians playing petty power games with a highly important national infrastructure project. No matter which way you look at it, it’s a shocking mess.
If you look at the situation with respect to the Coalition’s Broadband Network in Tasmania from a 10,000-foot view, you might think that it’s easy to understand.
On one side of the boxing ring, with his clenched fists clad in sterling blue mitts and held up in front of his face protectively, stands Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, an evil glint in his eye as he defends the Coalition’s Fibre to the Node plans to significantly water down NBN Co’s broadband rollout in the state. On the other side of the ring is arrayed a crowd of opponents — Labor, unions, Greens, industry and even Tasmanian Liberals — all yelling angrily at Turnbull that they want a full Fibre to the Premises rollout for Tasmania.
It’s the sort of classic good versus evil dichotomy which the media consistently likes to apply to political battles; when conflict sells newspapers and drives clicks, all pictures will be painted in black and white.