VK7HSE's RamblingsThis site appeared in my Facebook feed earlier today, it makes for some interesting reading… I call it the 501 dot points of shame but the original title is "Achievements of the Abbott Government" But judge for yourself…
And we weren't expecting this at all now were we? (sarcasm)
Abbott's new world record: 25 broken promises in 150 daysMilestones in the life of a new government must be celebrated – or, in the case of the Abbott Government, lamented. Alan Austin reports. THE ABBOTT REGIME has reached a remarkable landmark – its 25th blatant broken promise. That's one every six days since the September election.
National Broadband Network blowout clouds Tasmania's rollout agenda
TASMANIA'S leading edge on the National Broadband Network is in jeopardy after a backflip by the Federal Government over an $11 billion cost blowout.
Federal Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday released the Coalition's NBN review saying the project would cost $41 billion — up from the pre-election figure of $29.5 billion.
But Mr Turnbull said the Coalition remained committed to limiting its equity investment in NBN Co to $29.5 billion, with the excess to be made up through debt.
The review showed the Coalition's promise of delivering 25 megabits per second broadband nationally by 2016 would stretch to 2019.
The state's information communications technology sector yesterday called on new federal MPs Brett Whiteley, Andrew Nikolic and Eric Hutchinson to press Mr Turnbull on what the cost blowout meant for Tasmania.
"Tasmania's NBN rollout is more uncertain than ever," TAS ICT executive officer Dean Winter said.
"How can our industry plan for the future drive the economy and increase employment if we are totally in the dark about plans for Tasmania's broadband infrastructure?"
Mr Whiteley said the review would have no bearing on the Tasmanian rollout.
"The review was about laying out the facts for all to see," he said.
"Under the previous Labor Government the NBN was a fact-free zone, and now we know why. We committed to honouring existing contracts during the campaign and that is happening right now.
"Any suggestion to the contrary is simply false."
The review raised concerns about the rollout in Tasmania, suggesting the process could be accelerated by 35 per cent to 75 per cent by reducing waste and lifting performance.
"NBN Co has received a proposal from the Tasmanian Government which suggests greater use of aerial in FTTP [fibre to the premises] deployment," the report said.
"NBN Co will explore this suggestion as one way of improving momentum."
A passage referring to Visionstream, the company oveseeing the rollout in Tasmania, has been blacked out in the report.
Mr Winter said the original fibre to the premise plan, first promised by Labor and then promised in principle by the Coalition during the election campaign, could revolutionise the Tasmanian economy.
— with AAP
Sourced from The Mercury
So as time has passed the truth of the Coalitions "Promise" has taken a new twist in just what will happen here in Tasmania. Essentially you can be assured that whatever is said will pretty much be hot air as politicians argue over the original election promise to what will eventually eventuate! So if you are one of the lucky ones to have got FttH (FttP) installed prior to the election then you can of course enjoy internet speeds of up to 100Mb/s Download & 40Mb/s upload, but if you're one of the unlucky one to have to be subjected to FttN then sadly you might as well just stick with whatever you have (ADSL/ADSL2+)
This is becoming a hot debate in Tasmania with the state government pushing to use fiber cable on existing Aurora infrastructure (power poles) There's too much that can go wrong with that solution, that would cause expensive repairs and lengthy downtime should a pole be damage by a vehicle or similar… 😐
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Gonski reform: School funding plan is back on
THE Government has found the $1.2 billion it said Labor pulled from education spending and will now give all schools $2.8 billion over four years.
The sudden discovery of the extra money – which could not be found as recently as last Friday – was needed to end accusations Prime Minister Tony Abbott was guilty of a major breach of an election promise.
Prime Abbott said today all schools in Australia will get more money under his revised spending plan.
The Prime Minister rejected a suggestion he had been forced into "a $1 billion backflip" by accusations he had dumped an election pledge on funding.
Gonski is back on.
"I think we've given a candid explanation of what we have been doing," he said after a week of funding uncertainty and embarrassing criticism of the Federal Government from conservative premiers.
However, it was clear that the recovery of the $1.2 billion announced at a press conference just before Question Time was to blunt expected attacks by Labor.In the September 7 election campaign Mr Abbott and Liberal education spokesman Christopher Pyne said a Coalition government would replicate the money and the mechanics of Labor's school funding scheme.
The Government of Labor's Kevin Rudd had reached agreements – either in principle or in fact – with the governments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.
It had promised $2.8 billion extra over four years to all states. However, Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory declined to sign up, and the $1.2 billion which was to have gone to them was returned to consolidated revenue. That meant $1.6 billion was allocated to the other states.
But last week Mr Pyne, now Education Minister, said the Abbott Government would not honour the agreements signed with the previous government and wanted the deal renegotiated.
He also said the $1.2 billion was no longer available and attacked Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who as Education Minister reached the agreements, as "Short Change Shorten".
But today Mr Pyne said he had completed deals with Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and had found the extra $1.2 billion.
"We will implement a funding model that is national, fair and needs based while getting rid of the prescriptive command and control features that removed authority for schools from states, territories and the non-government sector," Mr Abbott said in a statement.
"Labor left school funding in a mess. The hurried agreements signed in the dying days of the Labor government meant some States secured funding, while others missed out completely," he said of the agreements the Coalition had promised to uphold.
"The Coalition Government is delivering what Labor failed to – a national agreement on school funding that ensures parents, principals and students, regardless of where they live, have funding certainty.
"The Government will also honour funding promised to non-government representative bodies for four years including $55 million to Catholic Education Commissions and $110 million to the Association of Independent Schools.
"The Government is keeping its commitments on school funding and delivering more funding over the next four years than promised by Labor."
The agreement includes the $1.2 billion set aside by the former Labor government for the non-signatory states of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Mr Abbott says the deal with the three was made by Mr Pyne in the past few days.
The return of the $1.2 billion will bring total additional school funding over the next four years to $2.8 billion.
"Mr Pyne has … secured an in-principle agreement to a system which is fair and national," he told reporters in Canberra today.
"Given that we now have a fair and national deal, the government will put the $1.2 billion that Labor took out back into schools funding over the next four years.
"There will be full funding certainty over the next four years."
Mr Pyne said the Government would amend the Australian Education Act in 2014 to "dismantle the regulation and red tape that made the model virtually incapable of being implemented".
"Every student in Australia will be treated exactly the same way regardless of what jurisdiction they're in," he said.
Labor had made deals with NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, as well as independent and Catholic schools, but Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory held out.
Sourced from The Mercury
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