David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications. According to the Australian Electoral Commission, just 33 per cent of electorates outside of metropolitan Australia are held by the Labor Party. But, under the government's Improving Mobile Coverage Round of the Mobile Black Spot Program, 74 per cent of locations are in Labor-held electorates. How many of these locations were chosen based on advice from the minister's department?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I give the call to the Minister for Communications.

The minister for regional development and the member for Macquarie will cease interjecting.

Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. Improving access, especially to regional communications, is a top priority for the Albanese government, and—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Casey will leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Casey then left the cham ber.

Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

for the benefit of the member, I will set out the different elements of our plan to do so. The government's election commitment of $40 million for the Improving Mobile Coverage Round of the Mobile Black Spot Program is to address mobile connectivity concerns at 54 target locations around Australia. The locations were based on feedback from communities to local members, councils and mobile carriers, including reported coverage and capacity concerns; natural disaster risks; areas affected by bushfire; and safety along transport routes.

The important thing here is that these were election commitments. They were incorporated in Labor's pre-election costings. In other words, we are delivering on our election commitments because we funded them in our budget. Now—

David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This can't be on relevance.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is being directly relevant to the question, so it can't be a point of order on relevance; otherwise, there will be consequences for abuse of the standing orders. I give the call to the member for Banks.

David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the question very clearly asked—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is the point of order?

David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on relevance.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You may leave the chamber under 94(a).

No.

The member for Banks then left the chamber.

I'll hear from the manager.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, with great respect, if you are to say to this side that we cannot raise a point of order on relevance, which is in the standing orders—the wording of this question is quite precise. Were the locations based on advice from the minister's department? The minister has not addressed that.

Honourable members interj ecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'll deal with this. Yes, it is correct: points of order can be taken on relevance. If a minister is answering directly about the question—it may not be the specific answer you want—that is not a time to simply get up and ask for a point of order on relevance. I warned the member about that. The minister is being relevant. And if that standing order is going to be abused, there will be consequences. I will return the minister to the dispatch box to continue with her answer.

Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Now, it appears the member is confusing election commitments with other funding allocations that were made under the October budget. We also have public consultation on the draft grant opportunity guidelines from 14 November to 28 November 2022 conducted by the department. The feedback provided in the consultation process was used to prepare the final grant opportunity guidelines that were published on 2 February.

Now, let's be very clear. We also have, under our better connectivity plan, $150 million over two streams. There is $100 million for place based connectivity solutions, and $50 million for mobile black spot solutions, to deliver new mobile coverage to regional, rural and remote areas.

So it is very clear that, under this program, which is an election commitment, for which guidelines went out to the public to determine, and for which we had commitments to improve connectivity in areas which had elevated bushfire and flooding risks, right across Australia, we had local communities contribute to these draft guidelines. What I would say to those opposite is that I encourage them to work with their local communities on these rounds of black spot funding, for which the guidelines have been open for public consultation. This government is delivering on its election commitments. This government urges those opposite to do the best by their local communities and participate in that process. (Time expired)

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Assistant Treasurer is warned.