The Commission of Audit spells the death of Medicare as we know it along with many other "suggestions" on how to screw over the Australian people. This has to be the biggest waste of money spent second to the Joint Strike Fighters F-35's
NBN chief Ziggy Switkowski announces fibre-optic cable won't be rolled out to all Tasmanian homes
TASMANIANS eagerly lining up for a journey on Australia's internet superhighway face a big U-turn, with NBN chief Ziggy Switkowski confirming yesterday that the premium fibre-optic service would not be rolled out to all premises as originally promised.
Dr Switkowski, who was in Tasmania to provide an NBN update, said there would be a mix of technologies, including the use of existing copper wire for premises connected to the network from next year.
But he said up to 80,000 Tasmanian premises would get the all-fibre rollout this year.
Premier Lara Giddings said the Federal Government had broken its NBN promise.
"It's absolutely appalling that the Australian Government is doing this to us because this is about Tasmania's future," Ms Giddings said.
"It's about our economy, it's about jobs, it's about how we future-proof this state, it is about how we compete on the global levels."
Mr Turnbull promised to honour existing contracts during last year's federal election campaign.
Visionstream secured a $300 million contract in March 2012 to provide high speed fibre-optic band to 200,000 Tasmanian homes and businesses by the end of 2015.
But Dr Switkowski said the latest plan would have a mix of technologies and wouldn't be completed until 2019.
That mix could be influenced by a plan to install fibre optic cable on power poles.
So this comes as no surprise, I mean seriously Tony Abbott had no intention of keeping the NBN contracts in situ for Tasmania and if you believed this when voting then you're a bloody fool! Tony's Government has cost Australia more jobs in the first 150 than any other government in the history of the country. It's going to get much worse…
