❓ The Minister for Regional Development outlines the Cook Labor government's investments in improving phone and internet connectivity in regional and remote WA, including a $16 million co-investment with the federal government for key transport links and $2 million for surf beaches mobile coverage.
AnsweredQoN 653Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT — TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND
DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY
653. Ms R.S. STEPHENS to the Minister for Regional
Development:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
significant investment to better connect regional communities.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government is supporting improvements to
phone and internet connectivity in regional and remote communities?
(2) Can the minister advise the house how these
measures will help to bolster phone coverage on key regional roads?
DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY
653. Ms R.S. STEPHENS to the Minister for Regional
Development:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
significant investment to better connect regional communities.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government is supporting improvements to
phone and internet connectivity in regional and remote communities?
(2) Can the minister advise the house how these
measures will help to bolster phone coverage on key regional roads?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for this very, very important question. Members, I find it
really fascinating that the only questions that come to me about
regional development come from our regional Labor members. Thank you, member
for Albany. This is an important one.
(1)–(2) As
members know, we will always look for opportunities to do the right thing by WA
in regional Western Australia. The members
opposite, of course, do not even know how to spell ''regional''.
We know that telecommunications is a primary responsibility of the
commonwealth government but our government—the Cook Labor government—and
all our regional Labor members understand the critical nature of telecommunications for regional WA and what it means for our
towns, what it means when we are on our highways and what it means when
we are in tourism hotspots. Since coming to government in 2017, we have done
that to the tune of $154 million across a range of programs designed to
leverage the maximum benefit of telecommunications in regional Western Australia
for Western Australians.
I am very pleased to say that
recently I joined Hon Michelle Rowland, the federal Minister for
Communications, to announce a $16 million co-investment by our governments to
upgrade mobile coverage and digital connectivity
along key transport links in regional WA as part of the pilot regional roads Australia mobile program. These funds will be used to fill service gaps and
deliver improved in-vehicle digital coverage—the member will be very
pleased—on parts of Albany Highway between Bedfordale and Albany
airport and on Great Eastern Highway between Bullabulling and Meckering. This
will provide better digital connectivity between those two major corridors and
the wheatbelt, goldfields and great southern regions, improving mobile access,
supporting road safety and enabling greater connectivity during emergency and natural disaster situations.
The federal government and the Cook Labor government understand what
this means for regional Western Australia. I am so pleased that we are able to
support those three regions.
It is the first time the state and
commonwealth governments have put forward a funding package like this, so it
will be really exciting to see just how the providers respond and what sorts of
new innovations they come up with. I am sure it will be welcomed by residents
and businesses in places like North Bannister, Arthur River, Tenterden,
Narrikup, Cunderdin, Tammin, Kellerberrin and Southern Cross when they frequent
those roads. The initiative will support the telecommunications carriers that
service each route to invest in sites that may not otherwise be commercially
viable. That is what we do: we support regional Western Australia and we look
for opportunities.
Then of course there is the surf
beaches mobile coverage grants program. I was very pleased to announce funding
of $2 million last week to further boost mobile coverage at popular remote surf
beaches across the state. The second round of the WA surf beaches mobile
coverage grants program will target 35 surf beaches with no or poor mobile
coverage, stretching along the coastline from the Kimberley to Esperance to
improve the safety of beach users. What a terrific difference that will make to
users of those beaches. The aim is to provide
better mobile emergency coverage, a better response for emergency responders
and improve local coverage for beachgoers, regional communities and
visitors. They are heavily used in those locations. We know that regional
people enjoy the beach and they want to have access to appropriate
communications. That funding will be on top of $1.1 million in funding that we
announced last year, which is putting mobile repeaters at 20 popular surf
beaches as we speak.
The Cook Labor government continues
to deliver the transformation of infrastructure. We will always do what is right by WA. We will work positively with
the federal government and we will get terrific o utcomes for people
living in regional WA.
thank the member for this very, very important question. Members, I find it
really fascinating that the only questions that come to me about
regional development come from our regional Labor members. Thank you, member
for Albany. This is an important one.
(1)–(2) As
members know, we will always look for opportunities to do the right thing by WA
in regional Western Australia. The members
opposite, of course, do not even know how to spell ''regional''.
We know that telecommunications is a primary responsibility of the
commonwealth government but our government—the Cook Labor government—and
all our regional Labor members understand the critical nature of telecommunications for regional WA and what it means for our
towns, what it means when we are on our highways and what it means when
we are in tourism hotspots. Since coming to government in 2017, we have done
that to the tune of $154 million across a range of programs designed to
leverage the maximum benefit of telecommunications in regional Western Australia
for Western Australians.
I am very pleased to say that
recently I joined Hon Michelle Rowland, the federal Minister for
Communications, to announce a $16 million co-investment by our governments to
upgrade mobile coverage and digital connectivity
along key transport links in regional WA as part of the pilot regional roads Australia mobile program. These funds will be used to fill service gaps and
deliver improved in-vehicle digital coverage—the member will be very
pleased—on parts of Albany Highway between Bedfordale and Albany
airport and on Great Eastern Highway between Bullabulling and Meckering. This
will provide better digital connectivity between those two major corridors and
the wheatbelt, goldfields and great southern regions, improving mobile access,
supporting road safety and enabling greater connectivity during emergency and natural disaster situations.
The federal government and the Cook Labor government understand what
this means for regional Western Australia. I am so pleased that we are able to
support those three regions.
It is the first time the state and
commonwealth governments have put forward a funding package like this, so it
will be really exciting to see just how the providers respond and what sorts of
new innovations they come up with. I am sure it will be welcomed by residents
and businesses in places like North Bannister, Arthur River, Tenterden,
Narrikup, Cunderdin, Tammin, Kellerberrin and Southern Cross when they frequent
those roads. The initiative will support the telecommunications carriers that
service each route to invest in sites that may not otherwise be commercially
viable. That is what we do: we support regional Western Australia and we look
for opportunities.
Then of course there is the surf
beaches mobile coverage grants program. I was very pleased to announce funding
of $2 million last week to further boost mobile coverage at popular remote surf
beaches across the state. The second round of the WA surf beaches mobile
coverage grants program will target 35 surf beaches with no or poor mobile
coverage, stretching along the coastline from the Kimberley to Esperance to
improve the safety of beach users. What a terrific difference that will make to
users of those beaches. The aim is to provide
better mobile emergency coverage, a better response for emergency responders
and improve local coverage for beachgoers, regional communities and
visitors. They are heavily used in those locations. We know that regional
people enjoy the beach and they want to have access to appropriate
communications. That funding will be on top of $1.1 million in funding that we
announced last year, which is putting mobile repeaters at 20 popular surf
beaches as we speak.
The Cook Labor government continues
to deliver the transformation of infrastructure. We will always do what is right by WA. We will work positively with
the federal government and we will get terrific o utcomes for people
living in regional WA.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.