Competition has more to do with running costs than fast internet. Besides, if a business wants fast internet, no problem, just pay for it.

As for free internet, yes well, here we are starting to hemorrhage from financial preasure, yet we remain head and shoulders above other nations.

Just shows how successful the free internet has been for those countries, doesn't it.

Bazz, I'm a firm believer that nobody should have had access to their own super until they retired.

When compulsory super was introduced, every cent should have gone into nationally owned infrastructure and our returns upon retirement would have been based on contributions and provided via dividends on investments. We could have held on to the likes of the com bank and Telstra to name just a few.

The problem with super is that so many grubby investment houses get their hands on to it and risk billions every day, while raking millions out in profits.

Just think, we could have had trillions by now working for us, and our retirees could be on $40K a year. Instead, they are scaling through on what amounts to many as scraps, when considering the taxes they have paid and the sacrifices many have made.

Rehctub, the problem of allowing the government to use super for
infrastructure means you are betting on the government making good
investment. I am surprised you have such faith in public servants !

How about a billion in the Brisbane motorway or the Lane Cove tunnel ?
Hmmm ?

The government already treats superannuation as a milch cow, even taxing the deposits before any money is earned.

No government will remain in office where it proposes to get its grubby claws on the actual deposits.

What is very likely if a Labor/Greens government is ever returned and perish the thought, is capital gains tax on owner occupied homes.

That is government getting its hands on superannuation too, because many people consider their homes as part of their nest egg superannuation, to be sold to downsize in order to afford to live.

But there again, the previous Labor/Greens government proposed to force the elderly to sell the family home where they raised their children to fund their aged care. The Greens demand to go further and apply death taxes so that government eventually takes all.

There is a pressing need for government to return to the fundamentals that it was created to serve. Government itself has been a growth industry. It needs to return to the knitting.

Yes, I know Bazz, it was a cash of wishful thinking.

I see that the ACCC has recommended that cross subsidization of the regional networks by high charges on city networks has been condemned, and recommends that charges in the regional areas be directly subsidized by the government. This blows a huge hole in Labor tax on city users.

Just had a thought, (yes it does happen).
Most people in super funds put some of their super into fixed deposits.
Now if the banks get into trouble the Financial Stability Board could
take some or all of those super fund deposits as well as the deposits
you hold directly.

I just don't see that they could resist taking the super fund deposits
as it is money you would not expect to access for some time and it
would be so big that it could probably pay out all the banks debts on its own.

They could then wind the banks up and start with a new bank.
In case you think this is ridiculous Wayne Swan signed up for it and
they had a practise run in Cyprus last year.