Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell has accused the Albanese Government of creating a two-tiered communications system with a divide between “cities and the bush” by cutting millions of dollars from telecommunications in the budget.
Mr Birrell said in its first budget back in October, the incoming Labor government replaced a $106 million program for natural disaster resilience and telecommunications infrastructure in vulnerable locations with a $30.4 million commitment to the Department of Home Affairs for resilience initiatives, including infrastructure.
He also said a $30 million commitment under the Coalition had been cut to just $4.7 million while a $5 million emerging technology trial has been scrapped altogether.
Mr Birrell also said the Mobile Black Spot Program has been cut by $37.5 million and was now at the lowest level of investment since 2015.
“Rural and regional communities deserve better. We are a vast nation, but that's not an excuse for having a two-tier telecommunication system,” Mr Birrell said.
“It’s a heartless decision at a time when so many regional communities are in the grip of a flood disaster.
“Black spots, poor service quality and a lack of access to the latest telecommunications technology are the subject of frequent representations to my office and many offices in regional and remote Australia.”
Mr Birrell said rather than cutting funding, the government should be increasing its spending.
“Telecommunications in the regions is critical for business and for participation in the digital economy, and it requires constant investment, not cuts,” he said.
Mr Birrell made the comments in Federal Parliament while supporting an amendment to telecommunications legislation that will increase law enforcement and emergency services access to mobile phone location data.
“I recognise the importance of this legislation and that in some circumstances access to a missing person’s mobile phone location data, known as triangulation, can mean the difference between life and death,” he said.
A spokesperson for Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the Albanese Government was determined to accelerate efforts to improve connectivity in rural and regional Australia and claimed to have substantially increased funding for regional communications.
“Compared to approximately $900 million in the previous government’s budget, the Albanese Government’s October budget delivered a substantial increase to $2.2 billion in funding over five years, in addition to the $480 million for NBN’s Fixed Wireless Network expansion and upgrade,” the spokesperson said.
“The government is committed to expanding mobile coverage and improving broadband through our Better Connectivity Plan for regional and rural Australia.
“Our plan commits $400 million to expanding mobile coverage and improve communications resilience, including investment to fund future rounds of the Mobile Black Spot Program and expansion of the successful Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters Program, and $200 million to fund place-based communications solutions through additional rounds of the Regional Connectivity Program.
“The funding for the Better Connectivity Plan comes in addition to the government’s commitment to upgrade the NBN fixed-wireless network and expand full-fibre access for an additional 1.5 million premises, including 660,000 in rural and regional Australia.”