MP Tony Pasin fumes after Murraylands misses out on mobile black spot funding
The Member for Barker has described a $40 million Improving Mobile Coverage Round funding announcement as a "huge blow".
The Murraylands has missed out on a share of $40 million worth of funding intended to fill “black spots” in mobile phone coverage.
On Friday, the federal Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland, announced which mobile network operators and infrastructure providers would receive funding under the Improving Mobile Coverage program.
The funding is for deploying new mobile infrastructure at 54 target locations across Australia, none of which are in Barker, the electorate which includes the Murraylands.
Federal MP Tony Pasin described the announcement as a huge blow to the region.
“This is incredibly disappointing for the hundreds of locations across Barker that are struggling with mobile coverage,” he said.
“A functional mobile phone service is no longer a luxury; it is a necessary business tool, and in the case of regional communities, it is also a key piece of safety equipment.
“I’ll continue to fight for local communities in Barker to receive the mobile coverage they deserve.”
In 2021, after the Murraylands missed out on funding for a mobile black spot program, Mr Pasin expressed his anger that telecommunications providers did not “show more interest in partnering with government to deliver improved connectivity to regional South Australia”.
The federal Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland MP, expressed that the Albanese Government was committed to improving regional communications.
“The October Budget delivered $2.2 billion in funding for regional communications over five years, including $480m for NBN’s Fixed Wireless Network expansion and upgrade,” she said.
“This is compared to approximately $1.3bn in the previous Liberal–National Government’s budget.
“Our budget plan includes $400 million to expand mobile coverage and improve communications resilience, including by investing in future rounds of the Mobile Black Spot Program.”
A national map shows that some of the current mobile black spots in Barker include parts of Murray Bridge East, Monteith, Mypolonga and Younghusband.
Black spot nominations closed in 2018.
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network advises that if you have a complaint about mobile reception to contact your service provider and give them details about when and where the issue occurs.
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