If the multi-technology mix NBN was a building program…

One day NBNCo paid ~$11bn for blocks of land with which to build. The blocks may have existing buildings on them or they might be completely vacant. For many blocks (the number and location are strictly commercially sensitive – NBNCo didn’t ask, and the seller didn’t feel obliged to tell), they don’t know what’s on the block of land: it could be prime real estate or it could be a swamp.

They don’t even know if there is in fact land at the place that they were told and to solve these problems NBNCo have agreed to pay extra to the seller to survey the land that they bought.

Every 18 months or so, NBNCo then place a big sign at a random number of blocks in random places saying “Sometime soon we’ll build a building here!”. Occasionally on some blocks, for no describable reason, the sign is pulled down. This is the best information we get from the NBNCo public website and maps.

What we want, and what NBNCo refuse to release, are the specifics. Will the building be brick? Will it be concrete? (Will a concrete building be built where the architect said to build a brick one?) How high will it be? Will it be a renovation of what’s already there or will it be bulldozed and built anew? (And will the landowner pay for the renovation, or will tenants have to pay for it?) What did the surveyor say? Where are the blueprints? When will it be finished? When will building start? Who will be building it?

Is there a secret deal with the seller to get cheap rent? Is the seller, acting as surveyor, working in the best interests of themselves or of NBNCo?

The answers we get are basically, “That’s commercially sensitive” or “We don’t know”. That’s not good enough!

Leave a Reply