NBN HQ decision will wait for board

The location of the National Broadband Network headquarters will not be decided until after the NBN company's board and chairman are appointed, Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy told his state counterparts this week.

Conroy and the state ministers met on Monday at the Online and Communications Council meeting in Melbourne.

Robert Schwarten
(Credit: Queensland Government)

"I was advised at the meeting that the location of the NBN headquarters would not be decided until the NBN Company board was in place. I understand this process of finding a suitable chairman and board members is currently underway," Queensland ICT Minister Robert Schwarten told ZDNet.com.au in an email today.

The revelation comes as the informal battle to host the NBN headquarters is heating up behind the scenes, with state governments handing in unsolicited bids and Shadow Communications Minister Nick Minchin labelling it a "political auction".

Spokespeople for the NSW and Victorian state government ministers who have, along with Queensland, expressed interest in hosting the NBN Company, this week declined to comment on the process behind or progress of their bids.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Commerce Carmel Tebbutt released a statement prior to the Monday meeting claiming that NSW had the most telecommunications skills and pointed out that the fibre-optic cables from major international markets ran through Sydney.

Victorian Treasurer and Minister for Information and Communication Technology John Lenders also recently pitched Victoria as Australia's recognised "telecommunications hub". The state is also home to Telstra's headquarters. Lenders also pointed out Melbourne was home to the telecommunication arms of regulators: the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Schwarten also made a pitch to Conroy and has previously said the state was hiring a consultant to sharpen its bid.

Shadow Minister for Communications Nick Minchin, however, believes the states should not be directing their bids to Conroy and that the current debate was not the right way to handle the matter. "This process should not be subjected to some party political auction involving state Labor governments," Nick Minchin told ZDNet.com.au by email yesterday.

"If and when Senator Conroy appoints a board for this company, which is being established as a commercial entity, it should be that board which makes that decision, free from political interference and pressure," he said.