Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The last time Labor was in government, it delivered no funding for mobile base stations—not a dollar for new or upgraded mobile infrastructure—and delivered the NBN to just 51,000 users. Its performance was abysmal. In setting out the Labor government's priorities for this term in the Governor-General's speech, mobile communications did not even get a mention—not one word. This is shameful.

Mobile connectivity is critical infrastructure, and that is why when we were in government we funded more than 1,200 mobile base stations and delivered more than a thousand new or upgraded base stations. This keeps families, students and small businesses connected, and of course this is also critical infrastructure when it comes to times of emergency, such as during bushfires, particularly in rural and regional communities. We get this. Labor did not.

Incredibly, Labor failed to back the Peri-Urban Mobile Program before the election, and it was only after very substantial advocacy from coalition MPs and senators that Labor reversed its position and backed round 1, to deliver 66 projects around Australia. I congratulate Aaron Violi. We went to Casey, and in less than 24 hours the Minister for Communications reversed Labor's position. But there's still the extension of the PUMP program. That is supporting peri-urban areas in regional major cities—Wollongong, Geelong, Gosford, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Canberra. We committed $78.5 million. There's not a cent from Labor. This decision needs to be reversed.