RUDD’S TELCO PROPOSAL LEAVES REGIONAL AUSTRALIA OUT OF THE LOOP

Kevin Rudd has today shown complete contempt for rural and regional Australians, announcing a telecommunications proposal aimed primarily at the cities and funded by money the Federal Coalition Government has allocated to improving services in country areas, NSW Nationals Senator Fiona Nash said. Senator Nash said in announcing the proposal, Mr Rudd has exposed his city-centric agenda, completely abandoning the interests of the seven million people living outside the metropolitan areas. “Rural and regional Australia have every right to feel abandoned by the Labor Party today,” Senator Nash said. “Quite simply, by announcing their plan to raid the $2 billion perpetual Communications Fund, Rudd and the Labor Party have proposed taking money – previously set aside by the Federal Coalition Government to ensure the future reliability of telecommunication services in rural and regional Australia – and spending it on a national broadband infrastructure program in the capital cities where large commercial operators are already doing the job. “In other words, Rudd is willing to pump money into city areas while rural and regional services suffer. “Not only has Rudd turned his back on seven million rural and regional Australians, he has today highlighted once again the hypocrisy of the Labor Party; originally opposing the sale of Telstra only to turnaround and endorse the sale minus the safeguards for country areas the Nationals in particular, fought hard to secure. “Rural and regional Australia can expect little if any of the $4.7 billion Labor have estimated their proposal will cost, given Telstra’s proposed Fibre-to-the-Node broadband network for the five capital cities was costed at $4 billion. I’d like to know how Rudd thinks he will put in place a network throughout the entire country for just $4.7 billion. “Everyone knows that this rollout will not reach 98% of the population. A fibre rollout in South Korea cost the South Korean Government $40 billion (US). Australia’s land mass is so much greater than South Korea’s yet Labor thinks $4.7 billion (Aus) will do the trick. “Mr Rudd’s focus is firmly on the city, not the country, and voters need to be very wary of the Labor Party’s agenda for rural and regional Australia.”

Source:

Post Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Enter the code shown above in the box below

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail