Re: They had to buy the copper
No, it was about a lot more than availability- it was about scrapping the copper networks, it was about putting in place a scalable broadband network for the nation that didn't require 240v and racks of vulnerable equipment exposed to the elements on street corners... not just connecting people with little or no connectivity.
They only had to buy the copper networks to get access to the pits to replace the old copper, whether it be FttP or MTM/FttN+HFC. They sure as hell didn't want to use the old copper, as Tony and Malcolm required. You could argue that if Telstra was doing its job over the last decade it would already have replaced a lot of the copper with the best option going at the time, in which case a MTM might have been viable.
Anyhow, regardless of what the bought and why, they sure didn't need to buy thousands of new km of new copper wire and set about repairing/replacing any existing wiring. Any numbnut could tell them it should all have been fibre, whether the decision be made on day one, mid way, or now.