CANBERRA OBSERVED Captain and Lieutenant’s $444 million munificence*

Every so often governments get a sudden but inexplicable rush of blood to the head that results in a political decision that bypasses the usual administrative and public service checks and balances.



Kevin Rudd famously did this when he agreed to a $40 billion plus plan for the national broadband network (NBN) that, according to political legend, was written on the back of a beer coaster on a VIP flight after a discussion with former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.&…

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