Shadow Communications Minister Senator Nick Minchin today said he thought it unlikely a builder for the Federal Government's $4.7 billion national broadband network would be locked in for another 12 months.
Shadow Communications Minister Senator Nick Minchin today said he thought it unlikely a builder for the Federal Government's $4.7 billion national broadband network would be locked in for another 12 months.
Shadow Communications Minister Nick Minchin (Credit: AUSPIC)
Although he said a preferred bidder would likely be nominated earlier, he told
ZDNet.com.au that there would likely be no signature on a
contract for another 12 months. "No bidder is going to sign off on
a contract until they know what the changes to the regulatory
environment will be," he said.
The Labor Government has set the expert panel, responsible for giving advice to the Government on the matter, a deadline of
eight weeks after the proposal deadline of 26 November to hand in
its recommendations. In order to make an informed decision, the
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) also needs to have considered the tender documents and formed
written recommendations on regulatory issues.
Minchin raised the timeline yesterday at a Senate committee
on the national broadband network hearing. "It seemed to the committee
quite ludicrous," he said.
Even if the ACCC and the expert panel met the deadline, if
regulatory change is necessary, the alterations would have to go through the
draft legislation channels, which would take a considerable amount
of time, Minchin said. There was also no guarantee that any
legislation would pass the Senate, which Labor does not control.
"We in the opposition, of course, will be closely scrutinising
any reform package that goes up," Minchin said, adding that with
$4.7 billion of taxpayer funds on the line, scrutiny was
important.
Minchin's scrutiny has already come to bear on the network. He said
he questioned the Government on where the
$4.7 billion figure had come from, as well as why it had chosen to
roll out to 98 per cent of the population, not 99 or 97, with no
answer forthcoming as yet. "The whole thing is extraordinarily
vague", he said.
The whole thing is extraordinarily vague
Senator Nick Minchin
"The thing we've been frustrated about was the Labor party
creating the impression in their campaign that this'd all be
rolled out in a flash," Minchin said. "Clearly what came out
yesterday was that this is going to be a much more drawn out
process."
Minchin wouldn't suggest how the broadband process could be
steered into safer waters. "It's not our job to fix up the mess
they've got themselves into," he said.
ACCC general manager, communications, Michael Cosgrave said the ACCC's
segment of the timeline was do-able, but would not comment further. Communication
Minister Senator Stephen Conroy's office did not respond to
requests for comment.
