Malcolm Turnbull failed as Communications Minister. His second rate version of the NBN is rolling out slower than he promised and it will cost a whopping $26.5 billion more than he promised.
Malcolm Turnbull promised his second rate NBN would be built it $29.5 billion – that cost has almost doubled to $56 billion.
MALCOLM TURNBULL’S SECOND RATE NBN COST BLOWOUT
Malcolm Turnbull promised that his second rate NBN would be rolled out to all homes and businesses within three years (by the end of 2016) – that’s now more than doubled to 7 years (by the end of 2020).
Malcolm Turnbull promised that his ‘MTM’ version of the National Broadband Network would be rolled out faster and cheaper.
After two years as Communications Minister, all Malcolm Turnbull has left behind is a version of the NBN that is best described as Malcolm Turnbull’s Mess.
Malcolm Turnbull has no-one to blame for this failure but himself.
The NBN is rolling out slower than Malcolm Turnbull promised, and it is more expensive than he promised.
The NBN has become the collateral damage of two years where Malcolm Turnbull was more focused on getting the Prime Minister’s job than doing his day job.
The Australian people have every right to feel they have been duped, ripped off and lied to by Malcolm Turnbull – because they have.
Whomever Malcolm Turnbull appoints as his Communications Minster has a big job ahead of them to fix the mess the now Prime Minister has left behind.
If the next Communications Minister has any chance of fixing Malcolm Turnbull’s Mess, they need to immediately do the following:
- Release the financial model that underpins the NBN Corporate plan.
- Abandon the obsession with connecting Australians to the NBN using copper laid in the early 20th century instead of 21st century fibre just because someone else thought of it first.
- Release detailed rollout information so that all Australians know when they will get the NBN and what type of NBN they will get.
- Ensure that key NBN Co executive and board appointments are made on merit instead of whether or not the individual may have once owned a yacht with the now Prime Minister.
- Move past the obsession with fighting the battles of the past that characterised Malcolm Turnbull’s tenure as Communications Minister and instead engage with industry and the Opposition about how we can work together to enable a digitally connected future with the National Broadband Network as the backbone.
The next Communications Minister needs to work in a bi-partisan way to build Australia’s digital future in a way that Malcolm Turnbull never could.
WEDNESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: RYAN HAMILTON 02 6277 4904
