Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Over Christmas, thousands of my constituents endured several days without power, phones or internet after storms damaged electricity infrastructure. In the middle of the fire season, in one of the highest bushfire-risk areas in Australia, we had few to no means of communication, as mobile base station batteries lasted just four hours and, in some areas, our landlines also failed. I understand the downgraded NBN rollout will mean landlines will not work in power outages at all. It is outrageous that, in 2017, telecommunications infrastructure would leave us so vulnerable. Prime Minister, please advise how your government will address this and safeguard telecommunications access, particularly in isolated fire-risk areas such as my electorate of Mayo.

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