MR JULIAN LEESER, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR BEROWRA
6 June 2016
Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield today joined Liberal candidate for Berowra Julian Leeser to announce improved mobile phone coverage for the Berowra electorate if the Turnbull Coalition Government is re-elected, as part of an additional $60 million commitment to extend the successful Mobile Black Spot Programme.
“New mobile base stations in Brooklyn and Crosslands Reserve will bring a much-needed boost to mobile coverage, providing benefits to emergency service operators, businesses, and residents,” Mr Leeser said.
“The Coalition Government understands the importance of mobile coverage in regional and suburban areas of Australia. That is why we are committing an additional $60 million on top of the $160 million already invested in mobile black spots, bringing the Coalition’s total investment to $220 million.”
Minister Fifield said that these areas have been selected because they have been overlooked by mobile network operators due to commercial factors and a re-elected Turnbull Government will invite mobile network operators to bid for this new funding to provide coverage in the identified locations.
“The Turnbull Coalition Government is committed to improving mobile coverage along major transport routes, in small communities and in locations prone to experiencing natural disasters, as well as addressing unique mobile coverage problems such as areas with high seasonal demand,” Minister Fifield said.
“The active co-operation of the industry in the Mobile Black Spots Programme to date has been strong with 499 new or upgraded base stations covering around 3,000 black spots already rolled out under the Coalition Government, including a new base station in Berowra.”
This is the most significant one-time increase in mobile network coverage to regional and remote Australia delivered by a single public funding programme in the history of mobile communications in Australia.
Following the success of the Coalition’s initial $100 million investment, another $60 million funding round is already under way, with successful locations to be announced by the end of 2016. This means there are further opportunities meet unmet demand improve mobile coverage in Berowra.
“Despite being in government for six years, Labor did not spend one dollar on fixing mobile black spots in regional and remote Australia,” Minister Fifield said.
“The Coalition’s $220 million plan to address mobile black spots will ensure regional and remote communities have access to wider and more reliable mobile phone coverage.”