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back to article NSW drops NBN access bombshell

The NSW state government , currently under fire over spiralling electricity costs, has broken off negotiations with NBN Co over access to power poles amid claim and counter-claim over price. The state’s treasurer, Andrew Stoner, went public on Monday, October 29, with the claim that NBN Co’s offer was $AU400 million less than …

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  1. Esskay
    Thumb Down

    How nice of them

    To treat us like pawns in their massive dummy spit.

    It's ironic that part of NSW Liberal party's election campaign was telling the electorate that having a different government at both state and federal level would be *better* for the people, and that having the same party at both levels would give them too much power to do things - now we're left in a situation where things take longer, and cost more to do due to political point scoring and fear mongering. Was there actually a time when politicians actually did anything useful? or am I just being naiive?

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  2. tkioz
    FAIL

    Typical political power play... I bet Abbott went to the NSW Libs and said "stall the NBN, stall!" so he could keep spreading his FUD and outright lies...

    I really wish we'd totally do away with state governments, they are completely useless in Australia.

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    1. Veldan
      Reply Icon
      Trollface

      Funny, I was thinking much the same thing about the federal government too...

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      1. Abel Adamski
        Reply Icon
        FAIL

        AAARRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH

        WOT and leave us to the tender mercies of Murdoch, Reinhart and Packer etc, unelected as a dictatorship.

        Look forward to slavery

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        1. Goat Jam
          Reply Icon

          Re: AAARRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH

          Oops, did I inadvertently stumble into a lefty convention?

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  3. david 12 Silver badge

    Which is better?

    Victoria isn't in trouble for over-investment in the grid 2005-2009. Instead, they had fires in 2009, (Black Saturday), and lack of investment in the grid has been fingered as one of the causes.

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  4. Steven Roper
    Mushroom

    "In a somewhat novel argument"

    "Stoner said because NBN Co would be paying NSW less than the state wanted for access, consumers’ power bills would rise."

    Oh look - humans breathe out CO2. Power bills have to rise!

    Oh look - a politician farted. Power bills have to rise!

    Oh look - Australia has three 'A's in it - Power bills have to rise!

    Oh look - that cloud looks like a teddy bear. Power bills have to rise!

    This shit is why South Australia has the most expensive electricity in the world. Electricity prices have MORE THAN FUCKING TRIPLED here in the last 5 years. This is corruption, graft and outright fucking theft at the highest levels, and the greedy foreign companies responsible need to be brought to account NOW.

    That's why I'm voting for Nick Xenophon - he's pushing for a royal commission into the corruption that has led to this farce.

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  5. Rob Moss.
    WTF?

    Bills rise

    Why would the power bills rise for someone NOT using their existing infrastructure? what am I missing?

    Last time I drove across NSW there were power lines supplying electricity already. Why would it become more expensive for there to be no change?

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    1. John Angelico
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Re: Bills rise

      Well, let's put it this way.

      If there is a certain cost per annum to operate the gold-plated network, then a contribution from the NBN will reduce the proportion borne by electricity users.

      If they can't agree with the State Govt on the amount, that is, NBN wants to pay less by 400M pa, then this shortfall has to be loaded onto electricity bills.

      That means that those bills go up.

      Understand now?

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      1. Goat Jam
        Reply Icon

        Re: Bills rise

        Your understanding of the situation is <ahem> "interesting" there John

        Surely the operation of the network costs X therefore the price charged to consumers is;

        X / #consumers.

        Were a deal with the NBN to be successfully agreed upon then surely the equation would become;

        X - NBN payment / #consumers

        which should obviously result in cheaper bills.

        Of course that will never happen no matter how much money they get out of NBN Co because that is not how things are done in the Peoples Republic Of Australia.

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