The recent Optus 000 emergency service outage had tragic consequences, fortunately none in Mallee so far, but as Shadow Minister for Regional Communications I am gravely concerned about emergency services connectivity given how poorly funded they are, and how far away vital assistance can take to reach you in regional Australia.

Regional connectivity is an essential service and I am proud as a member of The Nationals to have been part of a Coalition government that, from 2015 to 2021, funded almost 1,300 mobile towers – on average, over 200 towers a year, with the Commonwealth consistently providing the largest funding share per tower.

Sadly, since the Albanese Labor Government was elected, only around 100 towers a year have been funded.   The plain fact is, the Coalition did a lot more to fix mobile black spots and regional connectivity than Labor has in its 3 ½ years in office so far.

Rural, remote and regional sites more often depend on government funding because there are less customers per tower than in urban areas.  In urban and peri-urban areas, telcos more often fully fund towers themselves as there is a better commercial payback period.

As Shadow Minister I am concerned that Labor has only funded the Coalition-era Mobile Black Spot Program until July 2027.   The Albanese Government’s ‘Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia’ also runs out of funding at the same time.

Labor’s regional disconnect brings me to the Communication Minister Anika Wells tagging along with the PM to the United Nations and elsewhere talking about social media, while the Optus 000 crisis raged, with nothing to say. On landing back in Australia, Minister Wells finally met with Optus parent company Singtel and announced an inquiry.  Five months into the job, the self-confessed ‘new’ Minister - and her predecessor - still haven’t said what inquiry recommendations have been implemented from the last Optus 000 outage.

I am very concerned the Albanese Labor Government are more focussed on communicating how good they are, than ensuring essential services communications work effectively.

As Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, my job is to hold Government accountable.  I am also developing a new regional Universal Service Obligation that The Nationals insisted remain a Coalition commitment.

I am also proud to be the first ever Opposition MP to hold Regional Communications as a Shadow portfolio.  The Nationals fought hard for this new Shadow portfolio because Regional Communications needs continuous focus as essential infrastructure.

I am also very grateful for those that work on the 000 telephone line, our first responders and emergency services personnel and volunteers.  Please have faith in calling 000 in emergencies, and if you encounter issues, contact me at anne.webster.mp@aph.gov.au