Angus Kidman08 May 2007, 11:16 AM
Anyone looking for a broadband war between political parties following Tuesday's Federal Budget is set to be bitterly disappointed -- the most exciting technology development is pre-filled tax forms if you submit electronically. Yes, really.
Anyone looking for a broadband war between political parties following Tuesday's Federal Budget is set to be bitterly disappointed -- the most exciting technology development is pre-filled tax forms if you submit electronically. Yes, really.
Following the Labor Party's outline of plans to spend $4.7 billion on a national fibre network earlier this year, there was an expectation that the Coalition Government might respond in kind, offering some form of incentive for firing up Australia's broadband market. OK, it wasn't a strong hope -- after all, it was the current government that claimed to have created a competitive regime but didn't regulate effectively enough to stop Telstra hogging all the copper -- but there was still a glimmer of hope.
Well, that glimmer has now been well and truly extinguished. The only comments in the budget papers relating to broadband came under the unexciting heading 'Telecommunications: Ongoing Initiatives' , and offered nothing more than restatements of existing plans such as the Broadband Guarantee and Clever Networks programs. New funding for networks? Not a glimpse. Any plans to give new teeth to the ACCC? As if.
Barring the somewhat anticipated expansion of subsidies for solar power installations, the most technologically complex development in the entire budget seemed to be $20 million for an Australian Taxation Office software development project. For the 50% odd of Australians who already file electronically, the ATO will now offer pre-filled returns, complete with salary, benefit and health insurance information. Handy if you're a standard salary earner, but hardly an earth-shattering development.
"Australia's future prosperity will depend on how we respond to developments in the environment, technology and the world economy," the budget papers note. As far as technology goes, it looks like the response rate will be slow.