<div dir="ltr">Actually for the "why now?" question. what about "why not now?"<div><br></div><div>mining won't last forever and what do you want to do with the economy once its gone? I'd argue become a sci/tech powerhouse of a nation. Although considering we don't even have a science minister at the moment that's questionable.</div>
</div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr">------------------------------------------------<br><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.7315px;border-collapse:collapse"><font face="Arial"><b>Nick Gale</b></font></span><div>
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<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 17 September 2013 19:31, Robert Hudson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hudrob@gmail.com" target="_blank">hudrob@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="im">On 17 September 2013 21:27, Paul Brooks <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:pbrooks-ausnog@layer10.com.au" target="_blank">pbrooks-ausnog@layer10.com.au</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><br>
</div>This is probably taking it a bit too far Rob - they are legally obligated to provide a<br>
working voice telephone service to almost everywhere. And we are all legally obligated<br>
to subsidise them for the costs to service uneconomic areas through the USO - they get<br>
paid to do the uneconomic bits, they are not a charity.<br>
Fairness has never been a criteria, or a goal.<br></blockquote><div><br></div></div><div>I understand the USO. �And when it was first developed, it may even have been sufficient. �These days, given the reliance of the world on Internet communications, it does not go far enough</div>
<div class="im">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div><br>
> And again - the NBN does *not* cost us (the nation) $37b. Or even $90b if you choose<br>
> to believe Turnbull's build costs. It costs us the interest on those amounts, but<br>
> only until the loans are paid back/bonds mature (and the rates are stupidly low)-<br>
> and then the country owns a modern, high tech infrastructure that will drive the<br>
> nation forward.<br>
><br>
<br>
</div>This is one argument for "why now", whether or not you believe government or private<br>
interests should do something. If you're ever going to do something big and bold (like<br>
a national NBN, or a major subsea cable), the right time is when interest rates are<br>
stupidly low and debt is cheap to service - and not expected to raise significantly<br>
until you can pay it back. You certainly wouldn't take on that much debt when global<br>
interest rates were 10-15% like they were in the 1980s. (see<br>
<a href="http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/01/222-years-of-long-term-interest-rates/" target="_blank">http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/01/222-years-of-long-term-interest-rates/</a>).<br></blockquote><div><br></div></div>
<div>
A stronger argument for "why now" IMHO (though one that I do agree does rely on the support of the financial situation) is the fact that as a country, we're falling behind the rest of the world in terms of the availability of decent Internet connectivity, and this is going to cost us a substantial amount as a nation in the future.</div>
</div></div></div>
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