Tasmanian National Broadband Network company appoints board members

The Government has appointed four board members to the Tasmanian National Broadband Network Company, while the company itself has finally been registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Exchange.

The announcement comes as the salary for the board members of the National Broadband Network Company have been revealed, with the average pay coming in at $90,000.

In an announcement by communications minister Stephen Conroy, he announced that current executive Doug Campbell will be joined by former GM Holden corporate affairs director Alison Terry, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust director Jody Fassina; and Excentor Group managing director Greg McCann.

Three more announcements to the board are expected to be made shortly.

“The appointment of the Board shows that behind the scenes we are continuing to progress the roll out of what will be the most significant infrastructure project of the 21st Century,” Tasmanian premier David Bartlett said in a statement.

“These appointments provide TNBN Co with a wealth of expertise and experience to undertake this landmark project for the state of Tasmania,” Conroy said in a statement.

The Tasmanian National Broadband Network company has been set up to explore how the network technology will be delivered across the rest of the country. Initial construction of the network is expected to begin next month, with network services expected by July 2010.

According to the ASIC registration, the Tasmania NBN Company is a subsidiary of the Government’s National Broadband Company, and is a joint venture with Aurora Energy.

Meanwhile, the Government’s Remuneration Tribunal has concluded that board members of the National Broadband Network Company will be paid a salary of $90,000.

Chief executive Mike Quigley will receive a salary of $1.95 million, making him one of the highest paid workers on Government payrolls.

A spokesperson for Stephen Conroy told The Age that the high salary is ”well within industry standards applicable in both other government business enterprises and the telecommunications sector’”.