Outgoing ACCC Chair Rod Sims addressed the National Press Club in Canberra today.
In a wide-ranging speech, he pinpointed achievements of his time at the agency, and highlights a number of things he’d like to see changed. One of these was the regulatory arrangements for the NBN,
“Another important infrastructure challenge we have is redoing the regulatory arrangements for the NBN,” Sims said.
“After spending $50 billion on the NBN the objective must not be a commercial return on the sunk investment. It must be making the best use of this great asset.
“The prices that allow the NBN to get a commercial return on all its outlays, and the prices that make best use of this expensive asset, are very likely quite different.
“We all saw the benefit of having the NBN completed in time for the pandemic lockdowns. That is just a taste of the benefits if we get NBN pricing right.
“Prices must allow NBN to keep investing as needed but must also see optimum use made of it.”
Sims’ entire speech, ‘An agenda to boost Australia’s economic prosperity and fairness’, can be read here.