The next 20 regions around Australia to be connected to the National Broadband Network will be named very soon – possibly within a week – Communications and Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy said yesterday.
Conroy was speaking in Sydney at yesterday’s launch by Macquarie Telecom of a new $5 million Australian call centre where he was quizzed on a range of issues by the media.
Issues canvassed included a possible move to the Defence portfolio following departure of John Faulkner; the timetable for legislation to implement his planned Internet filter; and Conroy’s response to Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman’s plan to build a rival high-speed network through the Brissie sewer pipes.
Asked if he might be a candidate for the defence ministry, Conroy said portfolio allocations were the prerogative of Prime Minister Julia Gillard – but if she asked for his personal choice he would choose to remain in his current portfolio to complete work on the NBN.
” I’ve worked on it since we first created the policy on 2005 and I would like to work my way through,” said the Minister.
Conroy made it plain the next 20 NBN sites would have a more national spread than the current five “first release” test sites which are concentrated in the eastern states -the newcomers are likely to include several in WA, where the Gillard Government is hoping to charm the Liberal State Government into support for a range of policies including its mining tax and health initiatives.
Tenders for construction of the five test sites is also due to be announced later this week. “It’s full speed ahead on the NBN,” said Conroy, perhaps with an election in mind.
On Internet filtering, Conroy said the Government hoped to have legislation ready before the end of the year – and that meant earlier than December, he said. (That, of course, depends on the Government being returned if the PM calls an election, as expected, in the next several months).
Asked if he had any message for Mayor Newman’s plan for a fibre network fed through Brisbane’s sewer lines, Conroy had just one: “Good luck”.
“The thing about sewer pipes is sometimes they get blocked and you’ve got to put an ‘eel’ through them; that’ll work well for fibre,” he said with a wry grin.
But, he added: “If the Lord Mayor wants to invest in a rival network, good luck to him.” – David Frith
