Gillard is ripping up Labor's NBN credibility

opinion It was hard to ignore the sense of triumphalism in the air last Thursday morning when the Federal Government after all is said and done announced its long-awaited National Broadband Network contract with Telstra. The symbolism of the moment, finally, was writ large.

Behind Gillard file out Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, whose presence is clearly essential, however also Finance Minister Penny Wong, who doesn't give her own speech at the event, yet is only present to lend an air of financial credibility to the proceedings. She's less a shareholder minister of the NBN and more like some kind of trained prudential poodle.

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