Razorack wrote: "Melua I believe the bribe phrase was coined by...

Razorack wrote: "Melua I believe the bribe phrase was coined by the mainstream media. You should do your own research. Perhaps Conroy should try to get some of that 250 million back eh?"


It was in fact something that Tony Abbott said as an "off the cuff comment on radio" and was taken up by the News limited papers as Murdochs nose was put out of joint by the rebate for commercial reasons.

Tony Abbott
"It looks like at this stage, unless the government can justify much better than it has so far, you've got to say that it looks like an election-year bribe."

For an explanation of the real reason for the rebate read here.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/01/2832835.htm

"In fact, the license fee rebate had been negotiated and studied for two years by a wide range of Federal bureaucrats, including Treasury.

Reducing it this year and next and then having another look at whole fee regime was a sensible decision - in fact, in my view it was the only possible decision in the light of the Government's need for the networks' cooperation in the digital switchover and the freeing up spectrum.

The Government desperately needs the networks to drive digital take-up and to help with a number of complex technical issues involved in the digital switchover - due to take place in 2013.

The spectrum thus freed up - half of what is owned by the networks - will be re-auctioned to phone companies for 4G wireless broadband services, which will be used for mobile TV, in competition with the networks.

What's more the Government is now installing a $43 billion fibre to the home data network that will also compete with the networks, offering hundreds of new IP TV channels before long.

The idea that the Government could continue ripping hundreds of millions out of the free-to-air networks while at the same time instigating potentially life-threatening competition against them is patently absurd. Even Treasury could see that.