SARAH WADE
13 May 2016
Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield today joined Liberal candidate for Ballarat Sarah Wade in Mount Helen, a nominated black spot for Round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Programme.
Round one of the programme will provide 83 of the 94 publicly nominated mobile black spots in Ballarat with new or upgraded mobile coverage. The programme will deliver seven new or upgraded mobile base stations in Ballarat, with total funding of more than $4.4 million across the electorate.
The seven new base stations in Ballarat will be located in Blackwood, Bullarto, Denver, Eganstown, Glenlyon, Leonards Hill and Lyonsville. Ballarat will also receive additional coverage from new or upgraded base stations to be constructed in neighbouring electorates.
A new mobile base station in Blackwood was one of the first sites to go live nationally under Round 1 of the programme, and is already delivering improved mobile coverage to the surrounding areas.
Mount Helen has been nominated as a black spot for consideration under Round 2 of the MBSP, and Liberal candidate Sarah Wade has identified it as a top priority in the electorate. A competitive selection process to determine the locations which will receive new or upgraded coverage under Round 2 is currently underway.
The Coalition’s $100 million commitment to Round 1 attracted co-contributions from state governments, mobile network operators and third parties for a total funding investment of $385 million. The Coalition has already committed an additional $60 million for Round 2 of the programme.
Despite being in government for six years, Labor did nothing to improve mobile coverage in Ballarat. Not a single dollar was invested under Labor to fix mobile black spots.
Under the Coalition, we are already rolling out almost 500 new or upgraded mobile base stations nationally, delivering coverage to 3,000 mobile black spot locations nominated by Australians.