Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was very pleased that in the budget the Treasurer awarded another $84.8 million towards the Regional Connectivity Program. The program has already distributed $4½ million in the Grey electorate for some excellent projects, including 4G upgrades and better broadband in certain places. It comes with a long history of the coalition actually being committed to telecommunications in the country. Just the other day I attended the commissioning of the 30th tower built in Grey under the mobile phone black spot program. There are another 19 in the pipeline. I compare this to the previous government. They constructed no mobile phone towers in regional Australia full stop. There was no program. This has been a great program. Of course, we're awaiting eagerly for the announcement of round 5A and then round six to come. Also, yesterday there was an announcement that there will be another review into telecommunications in regional Australia. There was one done two years ago but the circumstances are changing. Under the regional black spot program the telcos are telling us that the model has gone about as far as it can, and so we are now looking for input into what we build for those next steps, because we will keep servicing regional Australia. We will keep building mobile phone towers.