The NBN is an expensive and complex undertaking and so it is not surprising if the average salary per employee is high. While I disagree with some of the details (I think the NBN could use more wireless and the USO aspects need more thought), the NBN Co. has done a difficult job well, so far. Even if the NBN is an over-investment in infrastructure, it would be better that it actually works, than then money is completely wasted.

Arguments about how many homes have been passed by the cable so far and how many households have taken up the offer miss the point of the NBN. The idea is to spend about a decade replacing the copper phone network, as well as the hybrid pay TV networks. It is early days yet for numbers of subscribers. In the long term there will be a large take-up rate, as there will be no alternative if you want a land-line phone or Internet access. Just as you don't run several electricity cables down each street, the idea is to have one monopoly fiber optic cable (with wireless as a limited alternative).

The former Liberal-National Party government started implementing a system with ADSL2+ on copper cable in city areas and wireless in regional areas. The ALP had proposed using Fiber to the Node (FTTN), providing a more advance (and expensive) service and much as the opposition now proposes: http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/broadband/

There were problems with the wireless part of the Liberal-National Party proposal: http://blog.tomw.net.au/2007/10/wireless-broadband-for-regional.html

After forming government, the ALP abandoned the previous government's system and decided to go for the fiber to the home option (FTTH). That allows for more growth in the future, but is more expensive to install. The wireless part of the NBN is much the same as the opposition proposed, but using licensed frequencies, making it more reliable.

Tomw,

Tom, if you are in the IT it is no wonder you support the network, seeing tons of taxpayer largess flowing your way.

Juliar's BER also saw extravagance and vastly over priced infrastructure.

Ah me, why is it that both sides of the political spetrum treat the public expertise as morons when it comes to large projects. I hardly call bum sitting couch potatoes expertise when it comes to things like NBN or all the failed projects [ aka, insulation program ].
Having been in communications for 44 years and a former south pacific regonal manager for ITT Belgium [ coms frame construcion ]I can tell you absolutly that ripping out all the present infrastructure to go FO is stupidity personified. The reasons run for pages but top of the list is not delivery to end user but SERVER CAPACITY!.While we have been sensibly running co-ax for all services [Cap 100MBS] and promising 10MBS min. the servers upgrade has been totally ignored. Anyone getting 10MBS on co-ax must be sitting inside the exchange and on a 100 port server with no-one else. We need more servers for the existing cable not cable upgrade. You can run all the FO you like but unless you upgrade the servers, you aint gunna get faster data. I have co-ax and lucky to get 200KBS at best. Rather than upgrade a 100 port server for one extra connection, the PTB proxy ports until it becomes ecconomical to whack in another 100port rack. Been there, done that. So mister shadow minister, how about you do your home work and present REAL answeres as to why the NBN project as it stands is doomed to failier and what can be done at a fraction of the cost to fix it up. 80% of ozz doesent NEED more then 10MBS [ if they can ever get it ]and the present cable [ well most of it ] can support it now.
As a final dig at the old insulation scheme. 40c and 4 minutes work could have prevented all deaths by live foil. Its called an earth wire and 2 press studs.

Pepper, some sound thoughts. Sadly, there was never a business case made out for the NBN, as it was always seen as a political imperative rather than addressing a specific need.Let's face it, as soon as Mike Kaiser's name appeared anywhere near it that should have started all sorts of alarm bells ringing.

Even more sadly, some of those who should know better are doing all they can to confuse the issue for their own benefit. As a rsult nobody will be properly served and the people in the bush who can't get a reliable telephony service will still have to wait months for any form of fault-rectfication, but there'll be lots of jobs for the ALP boys (and girls) when they lose their gig in Canberra.

Pepper is right, the problem with the internet is the servers.
I get 10 Mbit on adsl2 to & from the exchange, but never get that when
downloading files, more like 100 kbit to 1 mbit.
So giving me fibre at 100 mbit is a total waste of time and money.
It will not make the slightest difference.

Shadow Minister, Monday, 9 January 2012 10:29:32 AM:

>Tom, if you are in the IT it is no wonder you support the network ...

I support the NBN, although I would like to see a scaled down, lower cost version, but not as scaled down as the Opposition is proposing.

> seeing tons of taxpayer largess flowing your way. ...

I am not working on any NBN projects. I guess I don't charge enough. ;-)

> Juliar's BER also saw extravagance and vastly over priced infrastructure. ...

The Building the Education Revolution (BER) did some good things. One of the more impressive projects funded was St Monica’s Primary, North Parramatta (NSW) multi-purpose learning centre: http://blog.tomw.net.au/2011/03/open-plan-learning-centres-for-primary.html

But I would like to see more spent on teacher training and course development, rather than buildings and computer hardware.