Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education, Senator McKenzie. Can the minister please update the Senate on the investment that the Liberals and the Nationals in government are making to ensure that regional and rural Australia has access and connection to 21st century telecommunications services?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Davey, for your tireless efforts in supporting rural and regional Australia, especially your constituents in New South Wales. Our government recognises the vital importance of digital connectivity to Australians who live, work and travel through rural, regional and remote Australia. They need access to good quality and reliable telecommunications. That's why we're delivering on our commitment to improve mobile coverage across Australia through our $380 million investment in the Mobile Black Spot Program, which is providing more than 1,200 new mobile base stations in black spots right across Australia. Of those base stations, 979 have actually been activated and are right now, in real time, delivering real benefits to regional communities right across Australia, including 320 funded base stations in your home state, Senator Davey.

There's been a lot of talk today about politics and partisanship, but how many base stations for rural and regional Australia have the Labor Party delivered? I don't now. You might be able to guess. This side of the chamber might guess. If they had a policy on this the Labor Party might be able to tell us. I will tell you: zero. It's not even zero, because you haven't been in government for that period of time; you actually don't have a policy to deliver mobile black spot coverage in this country—that is a fact—whereas our side of politics has $182 million, not just for our Mobile Black Spot Program but also for our Regional Connectivity Program, which provides place based solutions for local communities out in the regions.

For Senator McDonald, Senator Canavan and Senator McMahon, we're investing in connecting northern Australia through $685 million dedicated to improving telecommunications in the North. We're about growing jobs and opportunities for the regions through connecting them with 21st century digital connectivity.

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Davey, a supplementary question?

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister also outline why quality telecommunications in regional Australia is vital to jobs and economic opportunities, as well as why it's so important in times of emergency?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is absolutely critical. We've seen through COVID the importance of that connectivity for people, young people in particular, to access education opportunities. Telehealth has been of significant importance during COVID. And that connectivity is important to keep those supply chains open, particularly with food supplies during lockdowns and border closures via state governments.

Having reliable telecommunications services means being able to use those sorts of services that I've outlined when and where you need them. We've seen Australians move out of capital cities and into the regions, and it is the digital connectivity that we've been able to deliver over the last eight years that has meant they've been able to stay out there. It's why Telstra has said: 'You know what? You don't have to come back to the CBD and to the office; you can stay where you're loving to live and stay our employee.' We've consulted widely across the regions through our regional telecommunications review and look forward to delivering a response shortly. (Time expired)

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Davey, a second supplementary question?

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Finally, is the minister aware of risks to regional telecommunications services and of what impact a lack of investment would have on our regional Australians and the communities they work and live in?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not aware of any alternatives. As I said in my first answer, nowhere in the Labor policy platform at the last election, nor in the ambiguity with which they're talking to Australian people around the next election's policy, do they mention mobile black spot funding. There's big talk around the NBN but nothing about place based, localised solutions for rural and regional communities, nothing about the internet of things on-farm and nothing about those who don't live in major regional capitals, like Newcastle, like Geelong and like Ballarat and Bendigo—their two favourite regional capitals, which they are happy to invest in. If you live outside of those two, you get absolutely nothing. So the greatest risk to connecting the regions and to growing the regions through digital connectivity is electing Albanese and his best mates: the Greens and Adam Bandt.