Australia - Independent MP condemsn opposition plans for broadband

[arn] Independent politician, Bob Katter, has arrived in Canberra for talks with the major parties and described the Opposition’s broadband plan as having ‘too much private ownership’.

With Parliament currently hung and the cooperation of independents like Katter needed to form Government, both major parties are scrambling to tout their benefits. Katter and the two other independent MPs have previously cited rural and regional broadband as a key issue.

When asked about what he thought of Opposition leader Tony Abbott’s broadband plan, Katter said he had not looked at it in great detail.

“It seems to me that it’s got an awful lot of private ownership associated with it and you can’t go down that path,” he said. “Most certainly a privatised system is not where I’m going to go.

“Telstra’s privatisation was diabolical for Australia and in fact every privatisation has been diabolical for rural Australia. Clearly you can sustain those services in the cities and you can’t in the country.”

Conversely, Katter said he was being told the Government’s National Broadband Network plan was a good idea and that it was good for Australia.


Katter: Abbott’s broadband plan has too much private ownership