ABSTRACT
The Australian government has been constructing a National Broadband Network (NBN), first announced in 2009, to provide high-speed broadband for Australians by the end of 2020. While scholarship on oil vulnerability by the urban planning community slowly grows, the potential role of publically funded telecommunication technology in the post-petroleum era remains a marginalized topic. While Australia is by no means the only nation where intensive and accelerating telecommunication infrastructure development is taking place, its high vulnerability to oil (Newman and Kenworthy 1999) makes it a fascinating case to understand the potential role of the new technology in the post-petroleum era. Understanding the Australian multi-level planning systems and their responses to the new infrastructure offers valuable insights for cities and urban regions in other nations.
