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

I am sorry to say that life in the regions is even harder one year on from the disastrous 3G shutdown on Labor's watch. Let me give you some examples. I was talking on Perth radio earlier this week. Joe from the Western Australian Wheatbelt called in, saying:

I live right on the highway, the Telstra map when you look it up says you may receive 4G with aerial on your roof. I get people knocking on my front door saying could we use your landline I get nothing on the highway—the transcontinental highway! We can't get any service.

Then there's Christine from Cumnock, in rural New South Wales. Christine had a car accident in an area with no mobile phone service at all. After the accident, she had to go to a house one kilometre further up the road to call triple 0, presumably on a landline. Christine and Ann Marriott of nearby Baldry said they are now back to relying on UHF to communicate.

What happened to 'nobody held back and nobody left behind'? That is the lived experience under Labor in regional Australia.

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