Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

We're a unity ticket on this one. When there is a disaster, people go to their community centre; roll out swags, if they've got them; and get some food. Often, people leave with their absolutely basic documents and photos, if they can pull them together in time. But when they go to their community centres they find that there's no way they can make a phone call to let people in their family and friendship circle know that they are safe. So having that connectivity in our community centres is important.

I'd like to spend my last 30 seconds recognising a wonderful lady, the late Jill Bottrill, who basically crossed the lines to get into the Lobethal community and on Kangaroo Island with NBN trucks just so that my community could have somewhere to charge their phones and be able to make a phone call. But that didn't happen for, I think, at least 48 hours after we had the Black Summer fires. This will be a game changer for regional Australia. I really do urge the government to put the shoulder to the wheel and make this happen for us.

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