Emma Comer (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In the year 2026 mobile phone coverage is not a luxury; it is a necessity for everyday life. It is how Australians communicate with their families and friends. It is how parents coordinate school pick-ups and after-school activities. It's how carers check in on elderly relatives. It is how people stay socially connected in an increasingly digital world. Remote workers rely on mobile data to participate in meetings and access cloud based systems. It is how Australians access services. Many government services now require an online verification code sent by SMS. If you cannot receive a text message or place a call, you can effectively be locked out of essential services. Without reliable coverage, Australians are getting left behind.

Mobile coverage is also fundamentally about safety. It is how Australians call triple 0 in an emergency. It is how they receive bushfire alerts, flood alerts and weather-warning notifications. It is how stranded motorists call for roadside assistance. It is how workers on farms, construction sites and remote worksites stay in contact with colleagues and emergency responders. In 2026 connectivity underpins social inclusion. Without it, individuals can become isolated, particularly in regional and remote communities. In the modern era, reliable mobile connectivity belongs in the same category as any other essential infrastructure. It supports our economy, our safety and our sense of connection to one another. That is why reform is necessary, that is why universal outdoor mobile coverage matters and that is why we must ensure that the framework governing telecommunications reflects the realities of everyday life in 2026.

We're establishing for the first time a legislative framework to create a universal outdoor mobile obligation. It represents a significant and necessary evolution of Australia's universal services regime. It reflects the way Australians live today, it reflects the way we communicate and it reflects the expectation that connectivity is not a luxury but a baseline necessity. The Albanese government is committed to keeping Australians connected. We believe that every Australian should have access to baseline mobile voice and text services across the entire country. No matter where you live and no matter what you do, you deserve the ability to connect, whether it is to work from home, to run your business, to seek help in an emergency or to simply stay in touch with the people that you love.

Traditional mobile coverage is currently provided in areas where about 99 per cent of Australians work and live. That is an extraordinary achievement and one that reflects decades of investment by industry and government. But it covers only one-third of the Australian landmass. In the remaining two-thirds, around five million square kilometres, it is not possible to make a triple zero call using traditional mobile services, and that statistic alone makes a case for reform.

We rely on telecommunication connectivity to support our families, our businesses and our communities. Most importantly, we rely on it to seek help in an emergency. Whether you are facing a natural disaster, broken down on the highway, injured on the farm or lost in the bush, you should have the ability to call for assistance. Under the UOMO, coverage will be accessible almost everywhere Australians can see the sky. That underlying connectivity will support expanded triple zero access and strengthen public safety outcomes. This reform means that, whether you are travelling on a regional highway, working on a remote property, camping with your friends or visiting one of our amazing national parks, you'll have baseline access to mobile voice and SMS services outdoors where reasonably possible.

The UOMO will require the three national mobile network operators Telstra, Optus and TPG to provide reasonable and equitable access to outdoor mobile voice and text services almost everywhere in Australia. This will have particular benefits in remote and regional areas where there is currently no traditional mobile coverage. It will also improve competition by ensuring that baseline access is available through all three national operators. Mobile carriers are expected to meet the obligation using a combination of their existing terrestrial mobile networks and the new direct-to-device technology enabled by the low-Earth-orbit satellites.

The Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025 is not about replacing traditional mobile coverage; it is about expanding it to areas where, despite significant industry and government co-investment, it has not been feasible to provide coverage through towers alone. Direct-to-device technology is emerging and still being rolled out in Australia and around the world. It allows compatible mobile phones to connect directly to satellites when terrestrial coverage is unavailable, provided there is a clear line of sight to the sky. The bill recognises that there are circumstances where operators may not be able to meet this obligation—for example, in heavily forested areas or deep valleys where a clear line of sight is obstructed. The intent is to ensure services are available as widely as possible.

Initially, the mobile telecommunications services subject to the UOMO will be voice services and SMS. This reflects the early capability of the technology and the primary policy objective of public safety. The bill creates a flexible framework that allows the scope and timing of the UOMO to be adjusted by the ministerial instrument as satellite technology evolves and the market capability expands. The bill proposes a default commencement date of 1 December 2027. From that date, all three operators will be required to ensure that baseline mobile coverage is reasonably available outdoors throughout Australia. This timing is ambitious, and it is challenging, but it sends a clear signal to the market that equitable and accessible outdoor mobile coverage is a national priority and that services should be available as soon as possible.

Importantly, the bill provides flexibility to adjust the scope and timing of the obligation by notifiable legislative instrument if required by market readiness or technical constraints. Any such decision must be made following consultation with the UOMO providers and with consideration of market, technical and consumer matters. This ensures accountability while maintaining necessary flexibility.

This legislation brings mobile services into the longstanding universal services regime, which previously focused on legacy, copper based voice services. It modernises that framework.

It recognises that mobile phones are now the primary means of communication for the overwhelming majority of Australians. I actually don't know a single person my age that has a landline. It also creates new powers to set standards, rules and benchmarks for mobile services, with flexibility for those to apply before the UOMO commences. This provides a framework to hold industry to account if it does not deliver in the national interest. Standards could cover matters such as ensuring there are affordable products to meet the needs of vulnerable groups, or requiring industry to reduce the impact of planned mobile outages through better planning and communication.

While the need for and content of any standards will require close consultation, it is important that the government has the ability to step in if the market does not deliver fair outcomes. Consultation has already been undertaken on exposure draft legislation. Feedback was received from mobile carriers, carriage service providers, state and territory governments, regulators, consumer groups and individuals. Consumer stakeholders have strongly supported the bill, and in many cases have called for even stronger enforcement of standards. Regional stakeholders are keen to see equitable access to mobile coverage and to ensure that direct-to-device technology complements rather than replaces terrestrial infrastructure.

I want to speak about what this reform means in practical terms for communities like mine. In Burpengary East, residents have been grappling with limited and unreliable mobile coverage. It is a growing community. Families are moving in, small businesses are establishing themselves, but too many residents struggle to make a call from their own home. I've been working closely with stakeholders to progress improved mobile infrastructure in Burpengary East. Negotiations with Queensland's site grantee are ongoing. These negotiations are critical to ensuring that the proposed base station can move from planning into delivery.

Base station deployment is complex. From contract signing, it typically takes between 24 and 36 months to move through site inspection, detailed design, planning approvals, site acquisition, construction and the final activation. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts has informed me that it is legally unable to provide a public update while contract negotiations remain underway. I share the community's frustration. I want the residents of Burpengary East to know that I am not treating this as a background issue. I'm advocating strongly, I'm seeking updates, I'm pushing for progress and I will continue to do so. These processes can take time. There are negotiations, approvals, design work and construction phases, but time frames and technicalities would not diminish my commitment to seeing this through, because it is about more than signal bars on a screen. It is about safety, it is about opportunity and it is about fairness.

Once contract negotiations are finalised, a public announcement will be made. The UOMO will complement these on-the-ground efforts by ensuring that even where terrestrial coverage gaps remain, baseline outdoor connectivity will be available. This reform is about closing the digital divide. It builds on the government's investments in the NBN, in regional communication programs, in First Nations Digital Inclusion Plan initiatives and strengthening the triple zero framework. It supports productivity. It supports economic growth. It supports Australia's growing demand for data and seamless connectivity.

Our vision is clear. We are not sitting back waiting for technology to evolve to its own timetable. We're acting early to ensure that Australians benefit from emerging technologies as quickly and as equitably as possible. Improving coverage is a key concern for communities and a priority of this government. The UOMO ensures that almost anywhere Australians can see the sky, they will have access to outdoor mobile voice and text services. It means that when you look up, you can connect. No matter where you live or what you do, you deserve that connection.

See this speech in context