Australia is in a unique position to benefit from two infrastructure projects that are being developed simultaneously. NBN Co is currently rolling out the government-initiated National Broadband Network and it also has a clear policy known as Digital Productivity, where the government is taking a leadership role in ensuring that other government sectors use this infrastructure for the delivery of trans-sector services (e-health, e-education, smart grids, etc).
The government has also developed a policy for the national rollout of smart grids; its demonstration project was launched in late 2010.
Smart Grid Australia and NBN Co are working together to investigate synergies between these two infrastructure projects and a preliminary report mentions possible savings of $2 billion if the projects can be aligned. Special access is provided in the NBN Bill for utilities.
Progress on the issue has been slow in 2011. Increased awareness regarding the trans-sector use of the NBN might see an increase of activity in 2012.
