The National Broadband Network is a future we must embrace

The NBN is a big project that shows ambition and long-term vision, and this is to be applauded. The lack of a cost-benefit analysis, however, is concerning. At $2,000 for every person in Australia, we need to be sure that the investment will pay off. Ultimately, I believe that it will.

First, the money is being spent to create an asset that will have lasting value, and under the Labor plan will be sold with an expected return on investment of 6-7 per cent. Borrowing money to build an asset that will have lasting value for the nation is neither reckless nor wasteful - it's a sound investment.

Second, while less tangible, the benefits to the economy of the new services and entrepreneurship that will blossom when gigabit broadband is ubiquitous are real and undeniable. A good proportion of our economic growth comes from productivity gains which will no doubt be accelerated by the advent of the NBN.

While the NBN promises exciting new services such as remote medical consultations, e-learning, and e-government, the as-yet unimagined business models and services are likely to be just as important. That's why we feel that this is one of the most important issues being debated during this election.