Safety concerns over lack of mobile coverage for remote Australians

ABC NEWS (Australia)

For regional and remote Australians, accessing reliable mobile coverage is a familiar and potentially dangerous, problem. But regional residents are hopeful election promises from the major political parties will lead to life changing improvements.

Transcript

00:00It's a picture perfect coastline around Esperance, but for paramedics like Paul Gawne, responding

00:10to emergencies in this region can be a challenge.

00:13Often there's a delay in people being able to communicate where they are. Sometimes we

00:19get cut off when they're ringing, sometimes we have to try and run to the top of a hill

00:24somewhere.

00:25In his line of work, the phone signal makes a big difference between life and death.

00:30Sometimes we might get there and then we need to call for backup. The information isn't

00:35quite complete and so we're expecting one patient, sometimes we might get three or four.

00:41The Labor government has pledged to deliver universal basic text and voice services nationwide

00:47if re-elected. This would rely largely on low earth orbit satellite technology. Farmers like

00:53Kirk Whiting say improvements are long overdue.

00:56Along the highway it's quite good. There's a few black spots, dead spots down through the

01:02rivers, but as soon as you leave the highway it's near on non-existent.

01:06This farm here has near zero phone signal.

01:10Poor mobile coverage makes it difficult to keep track of staff and run a business.

01:16Increasing the capacity and resilience of the existing mobile network was one of the key

01:21recommendations from the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Review. The coalition says if elected it will

01:28improve regional telecommunications and access to high speed internet.

01:32Regional and remote Australians are urging politicians from all parties to take their concerns

01:37on board.

01:38Farming's here for as long as humans need to eat and the governments on both levels need

01:43to back us in and give us the infrastructure we need.

01:46An argument to bring regional Australia up to speed with the rest of the country.

01:50The

01:51is

01:52the

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Transcript

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