Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications. Your universal outdoor mobile obligation bill has strong support and could pass this week, but it's been sitting on the Notice Paper for over a year. I've put forward several amendments, including vital reforms to help facilitate temporary disaster roaming. Recent mobile outages have shown that a hands-off approach to telecommunications isn't enough. Minister, why is the government going slowmo on UOMO?

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sport) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Indi for her question. The universal outdoor mobile obligation will enable, for the very first time, baseline outdoor mobile connectivity across Australia. It will substantially expand scope for people to seek help if they're lost, if they're injured or if they're facing natural disasters in areas without traditional terrestrial mobile coverage. I know this is a really important issue for the member, and I thank her for her ongoing engagement in the UOMO bill to date. I think it's fair to say that the electorate of Indi is a real example of the kinds of communities that UOMOs will assist. I was pleased to meet with the member for Indi earlier to hear her concerns on behalf of her constituents.

Why hasn't it passed the House yet? As the member is aware, the Albanese Labor government has progressed several key pieces of legislation in the last two weeks. I look forward to UOMO coming back for consideration in detail soon. I thank the member for her constructive proposed amendments. I will respond to them in full when we do consideration in detail. I would remind her that the default start date for UOMO is 1 December 2027. The No. 1 factor in whether any obligation can commence on that date is the development of the direct-to-device market. That's the No. 1 factor. That's why we'll continue to assess industry readiness.