In the Senate yesterday the Govt persisted with its steamroller...

In the Senate yesterday the Govt persisted with its steamroller attitude to questions on the NBN. This is about more than TLS, or even all Telcos. Australia is going to be saddled with a a very expensive Dudd .

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/215650,nbn-committee-pushes-for-cost-benefit-analysis.aspx

"The NBN Senate Select Committee has produced its final report, recommending the Government be more transparent about the costs and benefits of its $43 billion scheme.

Tabled yesterday, the report called for the public release of the "calculations and underlying workings" used in the Government's cost estimates, as well as a statement of the "alleged and predicted" benefits of the project.

The committee further recommended that the Government commission a "rigorous" cost-benefit analysis of the project, echoing a sentiment put forth by the Opposition and some industry.

Citing Section 52 of the Nation-Building Funds Act 2008, the committee noted that the lack of an "accurate and justifiable" cost-benefit analysis breached the government guidelines for assessing whether national infrastructure projects should proceed.

When Committee Member Senator Mary Jo Fisher asked the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) why no such analysis was included in the Implementation Study, DBCDE deputy secretary Daryl Quinlivan responded:

"Because the government had made a policy decision already. The purpose of the cost-benefit analysis is to determine whether there is a case for doing something or not ... But the government had made that decision. It was an election commitment."

Later the DBCDE dodged Reporters Questions on the cost-benefit analysis.