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NSW leads the way with the National Broadband Network

July 09: On May 12 this year, Premier Nathan Rees announced the establishment of a NSW National Broadband Network Taskforce, to accelerate and facilitate rollout of the network in NSW.

The Taskforce is chaired by Mr Graeme Head, Director General of the Department of Commerce and includes government representatives from the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Department of State and Regional Development, the Department of Lands, the Department of Planning, the NSW Chief Scientist and Scientific Engineer and the Government Chief Information Officer.

The Taskforce also includes the following industry representatives:

Ms Rosemary Sinclair, Managing Director, Australian Telecommunications Users Group (ATUG)

Dr Terry Percival, Laboratory Director, Neville Roach Laboratory, National ICT Centre of Excellence Australia (NICTA)

Dr Alex Zelinsky, Group Executive, Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies and Director CSIRO ICT Centre

Mr Ian McCarthy, Branch Secretary, CEPU NSW Telecommunications & Services Branch

The Taskforce is focusing on five key areas:

Investigating opportunities for leveraging the NSW Government's assets and purchasing power for the NBN rollout.
Identifying priority areas for broadband rollout in NSW.
Ensuring the planning process for the rollout proceeds smoothly.
Promotion of the ICT industry, technology application and development, and training through the course of the rollout.
Investigating the establishment of NBN testbeds in NSW to develop and test the next generation of applications and content.

Government representatives on the Taskforce are also working towards securing the NBN Headquarters in NSW which will lead to job creation and a boost to the NSW economy.

For further information on the NSW National Broadband Network contact: info.gcio@commerce.nsw.gov.au.