The NSW Government has jumped on the National Broadband Network bandwagon, pushing to have the headquarters of the planned government corporation within its borders.
(Sydney's Skyline image by Steffen Dubouis, CC2.0)
"The NSW Government is certainly putting in a bid to be the home base for the National Broadband Network and we will be making strong representations to the Federal Government on this important issue and do our utmost to gain more jobs for NSW," a spokesperson for the government said.
NSW was the nation's premier state and Australia's business and finance capital, the spokesperson continued. 76 per cent of regional headquarters were located in Sydney along with 46 per cent of specialist ICT businesses, according to the spokesperson, who pointed out that Sydney was also the financial hub of the country with 83 per cent of foreign and domestic banks.
"Financing is critical and Sydney/NSW will provide the best access," the spokesperson said. "Sydney has the best chance of attracting international investors — only NSW has the talent pool to provide the skills necessary for successful implementation."
In addition, NSW led research and development expenditure, with the state spending $3.8 billion in the 2006/2007 financial year, the spokesperson concluded.
Queensland and Victoria have already put forward their own calls to have the corporation based in their own domains.
A spokesperson for the South Australian Minister for Science and Information Economy said that SA was seeking more information from the Federal Government about the project and what it would mean for the state.
A spokesperson for Western Australian Treasurer Troy Buswell said that WA was still considering details of the federal plan for the NBN.
Mr Rees is a bit behind with his request though if you look at Labor's performance with other state services it is easy to see why.