Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker, Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to speak on regional communications and the proposals and projects that are in the budget under that portfolio. In March last year, the government announced $220 million in the Stronger Regional Digital Connectivity Package. That is a comprehensive response to the telecommunications review of 2018.

In reference to the previous member's questions, I will touch on some of them but I will let my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts also address some of them. Because the member is new, she might not know the history in this place and might know that there was not a mobile phone black spot program until 2013 and that, since that time, we've funded just over 1,200 base stations. The latest round, announced in April last year, has funded 182 base stations, and those base stations that have been funded under the Mobile Black Spot Program have fielded 44,000 triple 0 calls. That's just the towers that were funded under this program.

I understand the traumatic time the member and her community had; I was speaking to her during that time. The minister might want to go further, but we've actually identified the issue with telecommunications and bushfires, and that's why we've got the $37 million program to harden up bushfire-prone areas for mobile coverage. It has identified that communication during fires is an issue. It's not just mobile coverage but landlines, largely because electricity generation goes out. Of the black spot towers we've funded, 883 are on air now; they are switched on—100 since the beginning of this year. Since the fires, we've switched on towers in bushfire located areas at Wyndham and Cathcart in south-east New South Wales, Megalong Valley and Macdonald Valley in the Blue Mountains, and Berringama and Manorina in eastern Victoria.

In the next couple of weeks, we will be calling for applications for round 5 of the black spot program. Round 5 will be different. We are looking at more innovative models to get into harder-to-fit areas. I'm sure the member's electorate has that topography, with lower population and difficult topography. Round 5 will improve coverage in national disaster prone areas along transport corridors.

We're trialling new technologies so that we can actually go that extra mile in harder-to-fit areas. The Regional Connectivity Program, in conjunction with the extra $30 million in the budget, is now an $83 million program. The Regional Connectivity Program is looking at innovative ways to deliver data and voice into regional areas, partnering with local communities, local government, telecommunication providers and business. We are in the process; those applications are open. We did extend it, I think, to 17 November. Next week that will come to a close and we will be assessing those projects. We understand that the black spot program has done a wonderful job, but we need to show innovation to get into harder-to-reach areas.

The other thing that we are funding is the Digital Technologies Hub. As someone who lives in a regional area, I know that a lot of the problem is that a lot of the people do not know what is out there to help them. The National Farmers Federation was successful in the tender to deliver the tech hub over three years. People can ring up. They can email. They can get sensible advice from someone who knows what they're talking about to help them overcome some of the telecommunications issues that they have. I think that's something that's following on from the great work that Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia have done over the years.

Finally, there is the Alternative Voice Services Trials Program. Some of the technology is coming to the end of its life of servicing more remote areas. We've funded some trials to look at what might be the next form of technology to replace those radio loops and other places in harder-to-fit areas.

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