NBN to pass Senate approval following release of executive summary

JULIA Gillard has buckled to political pressure from independent senators to save Labor's proposed National Broadband Network.

Source The Australian

The PM has abandoned her refusal to release the business case for the massive communications project.

After insisting last week that information in the business case was "commercial in confidence", the Prime Minister yesterday released a summary of the document to secure support from independent senators for a bill that would deliver structural separation of Telstra and pave the way for the NBN.

It was clear last night that senators Nick Xenophon and Steve Fielding would support the legislation, ensuring its passage when it is put to a vote today.

Senator Fielding says the NBN would transform the health and education sectors and could even lead to the establishment of a free online university.

"I strongly believe that technology, including telecommunications infrastructure, is a vital building block for any advanced economy that wants to remain competitive in a global market," he will tell the Senate today.