Qld election policies an NBN wasteland
Neither the incumbent Queensland Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh, nor the Campbell Newman-led Liberal National Party (LNP) have launched any official policy detailing how they will harness the National Broadband Network (NBN) in the state if elected in the upcoming Queensland election.
Both Newman and Bligh detailed various policies during their major campaign launches held on 26 February and 4 March, respectively, ranging from how to increase jobs and take advantage of the mining boom in the northern state through to freezing car registration fees for citizens. However, both campaign launches ignore the nation's largest infrastructure roll-out.
Shadow Minister for Information and Communication Technology Ros Bates told ZDNet Australia after the LNP's campaign launch that the party is "only halfway in an election campaign".
"There will be a range of policies on a diverse range of issues between now and election day," Bates added. She would not be drawn on whether any of these would be technology based.
The office of the incumbent Labor Minister for Information and Communication Technology Simon Finn also wouldn't comment on whether any policy is in development surrounding the use and uptake of the NBN in Queensland.
The Bligh government's only mention of the NBN during this election campaign was the launch of a document designed to get private industry interacting with government on how to showcase the best uses for the NBN when it is rolled out across Queensland.
The document includes recommendations for private-sector education initiatives about the network's possibilities, as well as plans for a digital homestead display centre managed by the CSIRO to show Queensland farmers the benefits of farm management and monitoring tools. This document, released in February, does not include any core election promises.
This lack of policy exists despite the fact that Queensland will benefit from a $1.1 billion contract between NBN Co and Silcar that will see the network rolled out in the state by mid-2012. Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who is fundamentally opposed to the network, last year called for the funds to be diverted from the roll-out and into flood relief for Queenslanders.
The state election is set to be held on 24 March.