On the hustings it seems the government and opposition have made a point of never promoting any contentious or visionary proposals, presumably on the grounds that they believe the troublesome media will quickly turn an already weary and easily unsettled public against them.
This overly defensive approach can and probably will mean the outcome of the election will be decided by a single issue that is top of mind on polling day.
Barring an armada of boat people descending on Darwin or a national strike which could upset the back-room boys’ (on both sides) most thought-out strategies, the planned NBN rollout looms like the biggest ever elephant in the room.
It must be said that $43 billion is an awful lot of money no matter which way you choose to look at it, but that in itself should not be a deciding factor for wavering voters (the coalition are committed to scrapping the project) when its vast positive potential for our country’s economic future and social well-being are considered.
As a person deeply involved in the ITC sector I find it troubling that many people outside the industry, i.e. the majority of voters, do not appear to understand the fundamental need for the very fast broadband network.
Forget about all the wishy washy stuff. Australia has one of the slowest broadband networks in the developed world - and, what’s more, it is one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive - and the NBN can rectify that situation in one fell swoop. What else needs to be said.
History tells us that whenever a major and subsequently nationally important piece of infrastructure has been proposed in this country it has been bedevilled with misplaced criticism, usually couched in terms of excessive cost.
Think of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the Snowy Mountain Scheme … I could go on.
For the record, I recently attended an illuminating presentation where an infrastructure expert quoted car ownership figures in NSW at the time the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened. I recall he maintained there were less vehicles on the road in the whole state in the 1930s than now cross the structure in a single hour - seventy years and a cross-harbour tunnel later.
At the risk of resurrecting a ‘Rumsfield’, making an informed decision on the proposed ‘fibre to the home’ network is clearly another instance of most people not knowing what they don’t know, and I firmly believe that in 10 or 20 years’ time we will look back and say “what was all the fuss about?”
In my SME training workshops throughout regional NSW I tell anyone who will listen that I do not know a single person who is knowledgeable in the industry or academia that is not a vocal supporter of the fibre-based technology.
I also suggest that the losers in a new fibre based media-scape (legacy TV and newspapers proprietors) are unlikely to positively promote the introduction of a technology which will negatively impact the viability of their own business models.
If on 21 August you are searching for a single issue on which to cast your vote, please consider the country’s future … and make it the NBN. | 
