Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) regional Australians are subject to ongoing and significant challenges with access to reliable telecommunications coverage, despite many years of government investment and the fast pace of technological advance;

(b) regional connectivity is essential to modern life, for business and work, farm productivity, education, healthcare and social connection;

(c) many areas of poor mobile phone coverage remain across our regions, and regional Australians face ongoing impediments to their internet and landline voice service access, quality and reliability;

(d) the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC) provides three-yearly investigations into the state and needs of telecommunications in regional, rural and remote Australia, as mandated by Part 9B of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999;

(e) the first legislated review with a focus on the regions was in 2000;

(f) section 158Q(6) of the Act states that: 'if a report sets out one or more recommendations to the Commonwealth Government: (a) as soon as practicable after receiving the report, the Minister must cause to be prepared a statement setting out the Commonwealth Government's response to the recommendations; and (b) within 6 months after receiving the report, the Minister must cause copies of the statement to be tabled in each House of the Parliament'; and

(g) the Government is yet to meet the legislated requirements of the Act in respect of the 2024 RTIRC report which was tabled in December 2024; and

(2) calls upon the Minister to respond to and table said response to the recommendations of the 2024 RTIRC report forthwith, in accordance with the requirements of the Act.

I rise this afternoon to call out the Albanese Labor government's failure to prioritise action on regional telecommunications. The Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee, RTIRC, report was released in December 2024, and, while there is a legislative requirement for the government to respond to recommendations, of which there are many, within six months, we are yet to hear a peep nine months on.

The coalition's form in government in responding to RTIRC reports within the legislative timeframe was far stronger than Labor's, and I hope the government's response to the RTIRC report is not waiting until the universal outdoor mobile obligation, or UOMO legislation, passes parliament. UOMO is by no means a comprehensive solution to shortcomings in regional telecommunications.

RTIRC is not tasked with investigating how Australia can best plan for a transition to 6G or ensure sufficient broadband bandwidth to use multiple streaming devices and web based gaming. RTIRC looks at how to make sure regional Australians have a basic level of connectivity to participate in the essentials of life in the 21st century. While connectivity is essential to modern life for safety, business, work, farm productivity, education, health care and social connection, many regions across this vast nation face continuing impediments to their broadband internet and voice service access, quality and reliability, in addition to poor mobile phone coverage.

As the shadow minister for regional communications, I want to point to the Nationals, who champion regional connectivity and are committed to working with consumers and the telecommunications sector to design an updated universal service obligation that ensures regional Australians have the connectivity required to enable economic participation and maximise productivity gains, to access high-quality education content and virtual health care and for meaningful social connection. The RTIRC report calls upon the government to expedite universal service modernisation, which includes providing voice-capable broadband services with minimum speeds and standards for all premises; phasing out the copper continuity obligation where and when there is a proven and effective alternative technology; and having a USO that is technology neutral and flexible enough to readily adapt and be relevant to changing needs. The report also calls for system redundancy—namely, that premises without terrestrial mobile coverage can access an affordable secondary broadband service.

It is unacceptable that farmers who work out in the paddocks alone all day have no way of letting a loved one know if they've had an accident or a medical event, because they don't have mobile phone coverage, let alone continuous internet access for modern farm technology. It is unacceptable that regional consumers face lengthy delays without an internet connection when a mobile phone tower is being upgraded, where their only form of broadband is via the mobile phone system, with no alternative form of reliable redundancy. Regional people deserve better.

Technology is changing at pace, and we must keep abreast of it, harnessing its power to provide meaningful gains for regional Australians, who need it most. An upgraded USO may mean using low-Earth-orbit—LEO—satellite technology for home and commercial broadband and voice connectivity in the bush. It might also mean that LEO satellites provide basic mobile phone connectivity in areas where there is currently none and in places where expanding the terrestrial network is not feasible.

We also need to be realistic about what these technological advances look like and the timeframes involved; be aware of what industry is doing or likely to continue to do off its own back because it continues to make commercial sense; and listen to the experience and needs of consumers in the regions, who are often most cognisant of what really will make a difference on the ground. As the shadow minister for regional communications, I call on the government to table a response to this report with haste and to work in good faith with key stakeholders to address the recommendations of this report.

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