FED: Entire broadband market must be investigated: Minchin
21 May 2009 1:41 PM
Subject: FED: Entire broadband market must be investigated: Minchin FED: Entire broadband market must be investigated: Minchin
CANBERRA, May 21 AAP - The Rudd government must ask the Productivity Commission to examine Australia's broadband market or risk billions of dollars on its new national network, the coalition says.
The inquiry is needed because Labor refuses to do any due diligence on its planned $43-billion national broadband network, opposition communications spokesman Nick Minchin said.
He wants the Productivity Commission to investigate if there's any evidence of market failure in Australia and then recommend the most cost-effective solutions.
"The government should set aside its latest proposal and move to a full Productivity Commission inquiry to avoid the risk of wasting billions of taxpayers dollars on an unviable project at a time when we can least afford it," Senator Minchin said in a statement.
"This government loves inquiries, so it should have no objection."
Earlier this month, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the government wouldn't subject its plan to a cost-benefit analysis.
"We don't need any more studies, any more cost-benefit analysis to know this is an infrastructure investment Australia is calling out for," he told parliament.
AAP jcd/kms/jfm =0A
FED: Entire broadband market must be investigated: Minchin