30 October 2013

NBN terminated

30 October 2013 | johnboy

Kate Lundy is drawing attention to the Liberals yanking the rug out from under the feet of those already signed up for NBN connection:

The Abbott Government has terminated the National Broadband Network’s fibre rollout in multiple Canberra suburbs, leaving local residents and businesses having to rely on last century’s copper for their broadband.

The rollouts in Belconnen, Bruce, Cook, Macquarie, Aranda, Dickson, O’Connor, Turner, Braddon, Reid, Campbell, Acton and the City have all been terminated.

This means over 19,000 Canberra premises which were expecting to receive fibre in a matter of months will now be denied the service.

Residents and businesses in the affected areas will be left with one of two choices: battle on using outdated copper, or fork out up to $5,000 to have fibre connected to their home or business.

Join the conversation

All Comments

All Comments
Website Comments
Facebook Comments

LatestOldest

Robertson10:45 am 05 Nov 13

steveu said :

Darkfalz said :

This nonsense about Murdoch wanting to stop the NBN to protect Foxtel is the biggest load of horseshit I’ve ever heard. Foxtel recently have introduced internet based Foxtel Play on PC, SmartTVs, XBox and so on – and they’d be able to provide a HD version if everyone had a 100mbit connection. I never wanted Foxtel mainly because I didn’t want to have to have the receiver unit, special cable and a subscription – but you can PAYG with an internet based Pay-TV. I’m looking forward to a VDSL2 connection and I suspect I’ll have it a lot sooner than I’d have had anything with Labor’s NBN.

No I disagree. IPTV is the biggest threat to foxtel.

Fox is run by murdoch, and it is a major american film and television producer/distributor. You do the math as to where the NBN fits in there.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/murdoch-block/moepiacmhnmbiilhpojodnaopndhddpg?hl=en

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/murdoch-block/#id=330064

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/MurdochAlert-details/?src=ss

steveu9:30 am 05 Nov 13

Darkfalz said :

This nonsense about Murdoch wanting to stop the NBN to protect Foxtel is the biggest load of horseshit I’ve ever heard. Foxtel recently have introduced internet based Foxtel Play on PC, SmartTVs, XBox and so on – and they’d be able to provide a HD version if everyone had a 100mbit connection. I never wanted Foxtel mainly because I didn’t want to have to have the receiver unit, special cable and a subscription – but you can PAYG with an internet based Pay-TV. I’m looking forward to a VDSL2 connection and I suspect I’ll have it a lot sooner than I’d have had anything with Labor’s NBN.

No I disagree. IPTV is the biggest threat to foxtel. Fox is run by murdoch, and it is a major american film and television producer/distributor. You do the math as to where the NBN fits in there.

Darkfalz8:59 am 05 Nov 13

Robertson said :

In the UK when they reviewed disability benefits, 75% of people were removed entirely from benefits, and another 17% were found to be able to work in assisted employment, leaving just 7% of prior recipients found to be validly in receipt of benefits.

It is unlikely that a similar competently conducted review here in Australia would have any different result, thus saving us $30billion/year.

Once people have been on handouts long enough, they stop thinking rationally. They forget they’re meant to be receiving an allowance for something they apparently can’t do, or to help them find work, it simply becomes “my money” and they are violently protective of it.

Darkfalz8:56 am 05 Nov 13

This nonsense about Murdoch wanting to stop the NBN to protect Foxtel is the biggest load of horseshit I’ve ever heard. Foxtel recently have introduced internet based Foxtel Play on PC, SmartTVs, XBox and so on – and they’d be able to provide a HD version if everyone had a 100mbit connection. I never wanted Foxtel mainly because I didn’t want to have to have the receiver unit, special cable and a subscription – but you can PAYG with an internet based Pay-TV. I’m looking forward to a VDSL2 connection and I suspect I’ll have it a lot sooner than I’d have had anything with Labor’s NBN.

IrishPete8:32 am 05 Nov 13

wildturkeycanoe said :

So who are we going to get to do these “case management” reviews, when the existing Centrelink staff are being cut in numbers and the wait time on the phone to talk to someone is anywhere from 1 to 2 hours??? Oh, let’s just employ more staff to do the job – at taxpayer expense!!
As for the volunteer work, fine idea, but who is going to pay for the related insurances to cover them in case of injury to themselves or to the public? There is a cost you hadn’t considered and quite a substantial one considering the price of public liability insurance. Would you make this a compulsory or voluntary exercise? I can’t see any cost benefit in having an over 65 go do volunteer work if they still get the same cheque at the end of the week, it just takes available work form someone younger that can do the job better and might gain valuable experience from it. I think there’s some fit, able bodied people over at the AMC who should be volunteering first, before we get hobbling home-bodies out onto the streets.
I find it curious that you mention assessing people every three months but shoot your own argument down in your last paragraph, unless of course you were considering home visits.
Now, back to the NBN…….Aaaaargh. I was merely months from cancelling my home phone line with rip off phone company, now I’m stuck having to pay $15/month for a service I don’t use but need, just to get broadband. I hate this government.

Perhaps you don’t realise that this case management already occurs, just in multiple government departments, not coordinating with each other. Centrelink hived off the job seeking aspect to private companies, like Kevin Rudd’s wife’s, with how much success?

Great idea to have convicted prisoners “volunteering” – you’d be happy to have them picking upo rubbish in your street? How many prison officers, and at what cost, would it take to watch them? There’s a reason why prisoners have walls or fences, it reduces the number of staff needed.

Organisations already have Public Liability Insurance, and it probably already covers volunteer activities.

I would prefer volunteering was voluntary, but I have heard stories of people unable to undertake volunteering or education (preferable; education and related volunteering even more preferred), because Centrelink considers them fit for work, and looks at changing them onto NewStart.

Straw man obstacles are easy to blow over… You seem to believe that Centrelink benefits should be “sit down money”. I thought that idea had been ditched decades ago.

As for my last paragraph – if a case manager doesn’t know that their client is immobile and can’t communicate, then they should go to the back of the dole queue themselves. And case management without occasional home visits is poor practice – you need to know the environment your client is living in.

gazket4:43 pm 01 Nov 13

Robertson said :

AndrewW said :

Roundhead89 said :

Great to hear that Labor’s so-called “Nation Building” (costly nation-destroying) programs are being dismantled. This will be a small contribution to bringing down Labor’s humungous debt and budget deficit. While they are at it at it, the Libs should immediately abolish Gonski and the Disability Insurance Scheme. Every single thing Labor did should be abolished or reversed. They did no good, they did only harm and we will be paying for that terrible misadventure for many years to come.

Perhaps the next thing to be reviewed should be the disability pension. I can think of a few people rorting that particular scheme…

In the UK when they reviewed disability benefits, 75% of people were removed entirely from benefits, and another 17% were found to be able to work in assisted employment, leaving just 7% of prior recipients found to be validly in receipt of benefits.

It is unlikely that a similar competently conducted review here in Australia would have any different result, thus saving us $30billion/year.

get all the MEOC’s they seem to be good at pension fraud

Mysteryman3:05 pm 01 Nov 13

JC said :

Mysteryman said :

1. The debt didn’t keep “Australia out of recession, kept people employed”. It assisted,

Oh so you agree it was money well spent then as it assisted in keeping the country out of recession?

Mysteryman said :

Our banks were also responsible for a large part of keeping us afloat as they hadn’t invested in bad debts like a lot of the ones in Europe and most of the ones in the US. The stimulus package helped, no doubt,

Crap Australian banks were exposed, ask the NAB about the UK banks and the money they lost in the US subprime market. Again you have agreed that stimulus money helped, so yet again how was it a waste?

Mysteryman said :

Unrelated and continued spending with no surpluses have made it larger.

Straight from the Liberal party play book this one. Yes the debit did get higher as there were no surpluses, though of course if Howard hadn’t wasted all his surpluses on buying votes there would have been money to ride the wave? You know save in good times, spend in bad.

Mysteryman said :

2. Hockey hasn’t doubled the debt, he has increased the maximum borrowing amount. Asking for a larger credit limit is not the same as doubling your debt.

True Hockey has just increased the limit not the debit. Though may I suggest if you were to go to a bank and ask for a loan they would want to know all you liabilities, and credit, even if unused is still a liability that they get very interested in. So for all purposes having the limit is as bad as having the debit. The cynic of course would say Hockey increased it to continue peddling the propoganda about how poorly Labor managed the budget. Never mind of course the rest of the world, and even the Libs when out of ear shot of the Australian public were quite happy to say how well things were going (with Labor in power).

So what’s this got to do with NBN again, I have forgotten?

Wow. You’re all over the shop, aren’t you?

Do you not understand what the word “assisting” means? In reality, the effect of the stimulus packages came a bit late to be of significant assistance in avoiding a recession. The biggest influence had already been felt from China. To answer your question, no, I don’t think all the stimulus money was well spent. I think some of it was – like the money spent on schools. I don’t personally believe the hand outs to individuals was a good idea and I don’t think it had the impact that the government claimed it did.

Actually, the “crap Australian banks” weren’t really exposed much at all. Losing some money on a venture, and leveraging everything against bad debt are not the same. I suggest you go and read about why the Australian banks fared so well through the GFC and look at the actual numbers. Even those that borrowed during the GFC borrowed amounts that are very small in comparison to their yearly profits at the time – certainly not the sign of a bank (or any business) on the brink of collapse. Strong federal government regulation helped prevent them from doing anything as stupid as the US banks.

“Straight from the Liberal party play book this one. Yes the debit did get higher as there were no surpluses, though of course if Howard hadn’t wasted all his surpluses on buying votes there would have been money to ride the wave? You know save in good times, spend in bad” – Go look at the budget papers from Howard’s last year – 07/08. A surplus of roughly $20 billion was what Rudd inherited from the Howard government. Hardly evidence that Howard “wasted all his surpluses”.

“So for all purposes having the limit is as bad as having the debit.” That’s a ridiculous statement. They are not even close to the same thing and it’s foolish to even suggest they are.

You don’t seem to know much about any of this.

JC2:14 pm 01 Nov 13

Mysteryman said :

1. The debt didn’t keep “Australia out of recession, kept people employed”. It assisted,

Oh so you agree it was money well spent then as it assisted in keeping the country out of recession?

Mysteryman said :

Our banks were also responsible for a large part of keeping us afloat as they hadn’t invested in bad debts like a lot of the ones in Europe and most of the ones in the US. The stimulus package helped, no doubt,

Crap Australian banks were exposed, ask the NAB about the UK banks and the money they lost in the US subprime market. Again you have agreed that stimulus money helped, so yet again how was it a waste?

Mysteryman said :

Unrelated and continued spending with no surpluses have made it larger.

Mysteryman said :

Straight from the Liberal party play book this one. Yes the debit did get higher as there were no surpluses, though of course if Howard hadn’t wasted all his surpluses on buying votes there would have been money to ride the wave? You know save in good times, spend in bad.

Mysteryman said :

2. Hockey hasn’t doubled the debt, he has increased the maximum borrowing amount. Asking for a larger credit limit is not the same as doubling your debt.

True Hockey has just increased the limit not the debit. Though may I suggest if you were to go to a bank and ask for a loan they would want to know all you liabilities, and credit, even if unused is still a liability that they get very interested in. So for all purposes having the limit is as bad as having the debit. The cynic of course would say Hockey increased it to continue peddling the propoganda about how poorly Labor managed the budget. Never mind of course the rest of the world, and even the Libs when out of ear shot of the Australian public were quite happy to say how well things were going (with Labor in power).

So what’s this got to do with NBN again, I have forgotten?

Mysteryman12:00 pm 01 Nov 13

JC said :

Roundhead89 said :

Great to hear that Labor’s so-called “Nation Building” (costly nation-destroying) programs are being dismantled. This will be a small contribution to bringing down Labor’s humungous debt and budget deficit. While they are at it at it, the Libs should immediately abolish Gonski and the Disability Insurance Scheme. Every single thing Labor did should be abolished or reversed. They did no good, they did only harm and we will be paying for that terrible misadventure for many years to come.

A humongous (your words not mine) debit that kept Australia out of recession, kept people employed, and a debit that Hockey has now more or less just doubled in one fell swoop, but will of course blame Labor for. As for harm and misadventure think the next 3 years (if Abbott lasts that long before the Libs knife him) will be interesting indeed for this very reason.

1. The debt didn’t keep “Australia out of recession, kept people employed”. It assisted, but the greater contribution to keeping things running in Australia came from China pumping up its stimulus program, which resulted in materials and minerals sectors in Australia going strong, as well as the follow on effects to other industries. China purchased record amounts of iron ore in early 2009 that gave a huge boost to our GDP. Our banks were also responsible for a large part of keeping us afloat as they hadn’t invested in bad debts like a lot of the ones in Europe and most of the ones in the US. The stimulus package helped, no doubt, but it wasn’t responsible for keeping us going. Also, the stimulus package isn’t the only reason we have the debt we have. Unrelated and continued spending with no surpluses have made it larger.

2. Hockey hasn’t doubled the debt, he has increased the maximum borrowing amount. Asking for a larger credit limit is not the same as doubling your debt.

AndrewW10:33 am 01 Nov 13

Roundhead89 said :

AndrewW said :

Perhaps the next thing to be reviewed should be the disability pension. I can think of a few people rorting that particular scheme…

Oh Andy, you’re still obsessed with me. You should realise that stalkers are not regarded very highly amongst the RA community (and the public at large). I realise how frustrated you must be since I changed the security settings on my media ventures to lock you and your moronic nonsense out but displaying your deviancy on such a public forum as this is only making you look like a complete fool. By the way Andy I told mutual friends on Facebook about you and they have unfriended you and frozen you out as well.

Peculiar response! I don’t know who you think I am, but I can assure you that we don’t share mutual friends. Like many others on this site, I simply enjoy having a laugh at the nonsense you post under your many pseudonyms.

wildturkeycanoe7:03 am 01 Nov 13

IrishPete said :

Robertson said :

AndrewW said :

Roundhead89 said :

Great to hear that Labor’s so-called “Nation Building” (costly nation-destroying) programs are being dismantled. This will be a small contribution to bringing down Labor’s humungous debt and budget deficit. While they are at it at it, the Libs should immediately abolish Gonski and the Disability Insurance Scheme. Every single thing Labor did should be abolished or reversed. They did no good, they did only harm and we will be paying for that terrible misadventure for many years to come.

Perhaps the next thing to be reviewed should be the disability pension. I can think of a few people rorting that particular scheme…

In the UK when they reviewed disability benefits, 75% of people were removed entirely from benefits, and another 17% were found to be able to work in assisted employment, leaving just 7% of prior recipients found to be validly in receipt of benefits.

It is unlikely that a similar competently conducted review here in Australia would have any different result, thus saving us $30billion/year.

Even the Rabid Right Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2319355/Workshy-map-Britain-revealed-Thousands-incapacity-benefit-claimants-capable-working.html only claims 30%, so I am curious where you got your numbers from.

However, since work or study are generally quite therapeutic I think there would be value in Centrelink adopting a different approach. (Interestingly, I slightly mistyped Centrelink and the spellchecker only offered me Treblinka…). I think a “case management” approach to anyone on Centrelink benefits would be worthwhile – instead of just doling out money, maybe interview the person every so often (say every three months) to see what other assistance they might benefit from. For a marginal extra cost, there could be a massive cost saving. But it would need to be helpful not punitive. Even people on the Aged Pension might like to do some part-time or voluntary work.

Also a “whole of government” approach, so that Centrelink and the mental health, disability, housing and so on systems are all talking to each other.

There have been some awful stories from the UK, with people with profound disabilities having their benefits threatened because they have not attended re-assessment interviews. And by “profound” I mean people who are bedridden and unable to communicate.

IP

So who are we going to get to do these “case management” reviews, when the existing Centrelink staff are being cut in numbers and the wait time on the phone to talk to someone is anywhere from 1 to 2 hours??? Oh, let’s just employ more staff to do the job – at taxpayer expense!!
As for the volunteer work, fine idea, but who is going to pay for the related insurances to cover them in case of injury to themselves or to the public? There is a cost you hadn’t considered and quite a substantial one considering the price of public liability insurance. Would you make this a compulsory or voluntary exercise? I can’t see any cost benefit in having an over 65 go do volunteer work if they still get the same cheque at the end of the week, it just takes available work form someone younger that can do the job better and might gain valuable experience from it. I think there’s some fit, able bodied people over at the AMC who should be volunteering first, before we get hobbling home-bodies out onto the streets.
I find it curious that you mention assessing people every three months but shoot your own argument down in your last paragraph, unless of course you were considering home visits.
Now, back to the NBN…….Aaaaargh. I was merely months from cancelling my home phone line with rip off phone company, now I’m stuck having to pay $15/month for a service I don’t use but need, just to get broadband. I hate this government.

IrishPete7:01 pm 31 Oct 13

Robertson said :

AndrewW said :

Roundhead89 said :

Great to hear that Labor’s so-called “Nation Building” (costly nation-destroying) programs are being dismantled. This will be a small contribution to bringing down Labor’s humungous debt and budget deficit. While they are at it at it, the Libs should immediately abolish Gonski and the Disability Insurance Scheme. Every single thing Labor did should be abolished or reversed. They did no good, they did only harm and we will be paying for that terrible misadventure for many years to come.

Perhaps the next thing to be reviewed should be the disability pension. I can think of a few people rorting that particular scheme…

In the UK when they reviewed disability benefits, 75% of people were removed entirely from benefits, and another 17% were found to be able to work in assisted employment, leaving just 7% of prior recipients found to be validly in receipt of benefits.

It is unlikely that a similar competently conducted review here in Australia would have any different result, thus saving us $30billion/year.

Even the Rabid Right Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2319355/Workshy-map-Britain-revealed-Thousands-incapacity-benefit-claimants-capable-working.html only claims 30%, so I am curious where you got your numbers from.

However, since work or study are generally quite therapeutic I think there would be value in Centrelink adopting a different approach. (Interestingly, I slightly mistyped Centrelink and the spellchecker only offered me Treblinka…). I think a “case management” approach to anyone on Centrelink benefits would be worthwhile – instead of just doling out money, maybe interview the person every so often (say every three months) to see what other assistance they might benefit from. For a marginal extra cost, there could be a massive cost saving. But it would need to be helpful not punitive. Even people on the Aged Pension might like to do some part-time or voluntary work.

Also a “whole of government” approach, so that Centrelink and the mental health, disability, housing and so on systems are all talking to each other.

There have been some awful stories from the UK, with people with profound disabilities having their benefits threatened because they have not attended re-assessment interviews. And by “profound” I mean people who are bedridden and unable to communicate.

View more conversations

Featured Businesses

Community Club

Canberra Southern Cross Club

We're proud to give you a place where friends and family can come together for good food and great entertainment.

Find out more

Lawyers

BDN Lawyers

BDN has provided legal services to to Canberra, Queanbeyan and the region for over 160 years.

Find out more

Professional Services

RSM

We share skills, insight and resources, as well as a client-centric approach that's based on a deep understanding of your business.

Find out more

Insurance Brokers

allinsure

Allinsure has been a trusted insurance advisory to thousands of Australian business owners for almost 20 years.

Find out more

Mortgage Brokers

Clarity Home Loans

A passionate team of Canberrans helping other Canberrans secure their home loans. No frills, no commissions, no brainer.

Find out more

Lawyers

Kamy Saeedi Law

When you need a criminal or commercial lawyer, you don’t want to take any chances. You want someone in your corner that you can trust like your life depends on it - because it does.

Find out more

Lawyers

MV Law

Through a spirit of entrepreneurialism, collaboration, and future-forward thinking, MV Law have earned an industry-leading reputation.

Find out more

Electricians

True Connection Electrical

Since 2014, True Connection Electrical have been servicing residential and small commercial clients with reliable, trustworthy and top-quality electrical work.

Find out more

View the best of Canberra

Are you recruiting?We know how tofind you...

NBN terminated

Join the conversation

What's Trending

Featured Properties

Today's Poll

Featured Businesses

Community Club

Lawyers

Professional Services

Insurance Brokers

Mortgage Brokers

Lawyers

Lawyers

Electricians

What's On

Lifeline Canberra EPIC February Bookfair

Exhibition - The Excellencies of Musick: Highlights from the Jamie and Michael Kassler Collection

National Museum of Australia: Pompeii Exhibition

Carol Jerrems: Portraits

Related Stories

Daily Digest

Are you recruiting?

We know how to
find you...