24th Mar 2011, 3:54 PM – Senate National Broadband Network Companies Bill 2010 and related bill — Second Reading — Read a second time

The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bills for a second time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the majority agree with the main idea of the bills and that the Senate can now discuss them in more detail.

Background to the bills

The National Broadband Network Companies Bill 2010 ('NBN Co bill') was introduced with the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (National Broadband Network Measures-Access Arrangements) Bill 2010 ('Telecommunications bill').

The NBN Co bill establishes a regulatory framework for ownership, governance and operation of the NBN Co and its subsidiary corporations.(Read more about the NBN Co bill in its bills digest. ) The NBN Co was created to build and operate the National Broadband Network ('NBN'), a key Labor Government policy.

The Telecommunications bill supports the NBN Co bill by, among other things: supporting the rollout of NBN-consistent fibre to the premises networks in new real estate developments and placing certain obligations on the supply of wholesale services by an NBN corporation.(Read more about the Telecommunications bill in its bills digest.)