Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025. This is obviously an extremely important bill for all Australians, and I do support the intent of the bill. There are elements of the bill that I have concerns about that I'll mention in my speech.

We live in an amazing country that is very sparsely populated other than in the city areas, and the needs of Australian citizens in those areas are different compared to the needs of regional Australians. By virtue of the big land that we have and the lack of population density in the regions, we suffer from a lack of mobile telecommunications. Every member coming to this place from urban areas but also from the regions and the rural areas should, as a big priority, be fighting for better services. I really do hope that this bill facilitates better services in the regions.

The complaints that come to my office about our telecommunications system—it's one of the most frequent issues that are raised. We rightfully have an expectation that we will have satisfactory telecommunications. Mobile telecommunications have become such an important element of our daily life, whether it's in business, commerce or just our social networking. It is essential that we have high-quality, reliable and cost-effective mobile telecommunications. In parts of Wide Bay, people experience very poor telecommunications. In some cases, they don't have any. When we were in government, I did manage to achieve 19 new mobile telecommunications towers, and I was very proud of that. I know the effect that that will have, in Wide Bay, as I said, and in a wide array of areas. As a former police officer, I know the importance of reliable telecommunications. I know that reliable telecommunications can save lives but also that an absence or a lack of them can cost lives.

With the Morrison government, I managed to achieve 19 new mobile telecommunications towers, including at Glastonbury, Widgee, Woolooga, Wolvi, Tansey, Cinnabar, Windera, Oakview, Curra, Wratten's Forest, Maaroom, Poona, Fraser Island, Kin Kin, Boreen Point and Cootharaba. Very disappointingly, since the Albanese Labor government has been in power, Wide Bay has received no further towers. That is alarming, and we need to do something about it. Embracing new technologies may help, but we need a government motivated to improve services in all of Australia, not just Labor seats.

While I recognise the intent of the bill and welcome the requirement for major telcos to provide reasonable and equitable outdoor mobile coverage, I have concerns about whether the bill as drafted will actually deliver regional Australians the services that they need and deserve. The government claims that the universal obligation will provide coverage almost everywhere, yet it hasn't been clear about what this means, and who will be left out, or about the new technologies that we'll really rely on that have not been widely trialled, tested or proven in Australia.

The universal obligation is built around low-Earth-orbit satellite-to-mobile technology. This technology has great potential, and it may well transform telecommunications in years to come, but clearly it is not where it needs to be to satisfy the sales pitch of the government on this bill. Even Telstra in their submission acknowledged that satellite-to-mobile services are still under development and not ready to meet the expectations this legislation creates. That should be a concern to everyone.

I'm also troubled by the vague and open ended definitions in the bill. Terms such as 'reasonably available' and 'equitable basis' are undefined. Giving the minister discretion to determine coverage areas and to exempt locations entirely also worries me when I think about what happened in Wide Bay when, upon the election of the Albanese government, the tap was turned off for these vital services. With such discretion given to the minister, I hope it is used fairly and with all Australians in mind, not just those voting in Labor held seats. Consumer advocates, including the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, have raised concerns about emergency service connectivity, which should be an absolute fundamental. People need to be able to make a life-saving call for help. Access to emergency services should not be negotiable, yet the bill fails to ensure this.

As a former policeman, I remember numerous occasions where serious crashes—mainly fatal road crashes—occurred and people were unable to call emergency services because of a weak signal or no signal. In rural and regional Australia, the rate of fatalities is much higher than in built-up urban areas. Regional Australia has a rate of 9.6 traffic deaths per 100,000, compared to 2.2 in the urban areas, so you are far more likely to be involved in a very serious traffic crash on regional and rural roads. That just emphasises that we absolutely need technology that can be utilised at those times when these serious incidents occur.

Affordability is another major issue. Without financial support, telcos inevitably pass the cost of new satellite technologies onto the consumers. Regional residents may be required to purchase new handsets or more expensive plans to access the services the government claims will be universal. Low-income families may find themselves priced out of connectivity. That is certainly something that we cannot let happen. People who are struggling to pay the bills need to have access to telecommunications and connectivity for the services that we've talked about as much as anyone. We do have issues when it comes to socioeconomic inequality in the regions.

Telstra has noted that there's insufficient spectrum to meet the requirements of the universal obligation, potentially forcing a choice between maintaining 4G and expanding 5G, raising the risk of an early 4G shutdown. We all know the disruptions caused by the 3G shutdown. It caused a lot of anxiety amongst people, which was well founded, and left a lot of people worse off, unable to access 4G and 5G services reliably and, in some areas, with poorer coverage than existed before.

Technologies will continue to evolve, and our systems must evolve with it. Regional Australia needs to be put at the forefront of these advanced technologies and our embrace of them. Wide Bay covers more than 14,000 square kilometres, and there are many communities that urgently need mobile coverage. Reliable mobile services aren't a luxury; they're a necessity. I urge the government to do as much as it can to improve those services for regional Australians.

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