Nothing more important than NBN, says PM

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has pinned Labor's re-election hopes on a neatly woven narrative about the transformation of the Australian economy and delivery of government services that puts its National Broadband Network at the core of the final week of campaigning.

Written by: Graeme Philipson | Published in: Government Tech PolicyIt is not only Prime Minister Julia Gillard who has been making news in the Big Apple. Senator Stephen Conroy was also in town, taking about telecommunications and red underpants.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard this morning claimed the Opposition was still determined to destroy her government's flagship National Broadband Network project, and would take a policy to the next election of literally ripping the initiative's fibre-optic cables "out of the ground".

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has repeated her claim that a Coalition Government would physically remove the National Broadband Networks' fibre cables out of the ground if it were to take office.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy this morning released the Federal Government’s Digital Economy Strategy, a document which aims to lay out a vision for how the nation will best take advantage of the Government’s flagship National Broadband Network project.

The Federal Government today claimed it had "made history" this morning after it officially launched live services on its flagship National Broadband Network project on the mainland, in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and a host of other parties associated with the telecommunications sector.

The Government has left open the way for additional investment to ensure that Australia gets the maximum benefit from its spending on the National Broadband Network with the  release today of the Digital Economy Strategy, and the announcement of several new initiatives. According to Broadband Minister Conroy, the NBN could save each connected household $148 a week.

Prime minister Julia Gillard and communications minister senator Stephen Conroy will this morning preside over a ceremonial switching on of the National Broadband Network in Armidale NSW, following trials over the past month with a handful of Armidale households.

The National Broadband Network has won a reprieve with the confirmation of Julia Gillard as Australia’s Prime Minister. Given the minority status of her Government however, that reprieve may prove short lived.