NBN issues on Turnbull's head: Kevin Rudd

Former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd says the Liberal party, not him, are to blame for issues with the NBN because they changed the original plan.

Kevin Rudd has denied reports he was warned about ‘a large number of critical risks’ of a home insulation scheme before the deaths of four young men.

Kevin Rudd has denied reports he was warned about ‘a large number of critical risks’ of a home insulation scheme before the deaths of four young men. Source: AAP

Kevin Rudd insists concerns about the beleaguered national broadband network lie solely on the head of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The former Labor leader staunchly defended his party's decision to launch the network after Mr Turnbull labelled it a "train wreck" in parliament on Monday.

Mr Rudd said what had been planned and started to roll out was "perfectly designed" for Australia's needs, with fibre optic cables going to directly to homes, shops, schools and hospitals.

"You changed horse in midstream," he told ABC's 7.30 program.

"You cut that off and instead you adopted a policy of landing the fibre optic cable somewhere mysteriously in the neighbourhood. Frankly, the changes lie all on your head."

Mr Rudd suggested the coalition had cowered to News Corp and Rupert Murdoch, whom he claimed didn't want fibre to the premises because it would help provide direct competition to Foxtel from services like Netflix.

"Mysteriously, by some act of God, the Liberal party found itself adopting the same position as Mr Murdoch. I wonder why?"


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Published 23 October 2017 8:22pm
Updated 24 October 2017 7:51am
Source: AAP


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