Consultation with local communities the key to successful NBN roll-out
17 June 2010
The President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), Cr Geoff Lake, has today presented NBN Co, the government owned enterprise responsible for building the National Broadband Network (NBN), with a set of principles for the engagement of councils and local communities in the NBN roll-out.
"Local government realises the significant transformative potential of a high-speed, reliable, affordable and accessible broadband network to the lives of all Australians," Cr Lake said.
"However, as the NBN begins to be rolled out in more and more local communities, it is imperative that the Australian Government and NBN Co consults effectively at the community level so that the implementation is as unobtrusive as possible.
"The principles stress the importance of observing local planning controls, the need to preserve as many land and road reserves as possible and the desirability of flexible business models in order to minimise disruption to communities as the roll-out gains momentum.
"The experience of the roll out of pay TV cable in the 1990s provides a good point of reference on what not to do when it comes to working with local communities. We need to make sure we learn from those mistakes and work in partnership to get the NBN deployed efficiently and with minimal disruption to local neighbourhoods."
Cr Lake welcomed NBN Co's engagement to date with local councils and communities in the current five mainland trial sites.
"Local government acknowledges that there is already a good level of adherence to the principles we have outlined today. However, we want to make sure that this will continue through the next few years of the massive implementation task as well.
Cr Lake also noted that the principles will help to set the framework for ongoing discussions with the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy. The principles were presented today to NBN Co's Stakeholder Relations Advisor, Duncan Bremner, at the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra in front of 700 mayors and councillors from across Australia.
The principles can be accessed at www.alga.asn.au/policy/infotech/ALGA_NBN_principle_7_June_2010.pdf
- Media contacts:
- ALGA President, Cr Geoff Lake: 0411 645 281
- Amanda Lynch, ALGA Director Public Affairs, 0419 123 862
