Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

After 90 seconds of propaganda, I would like to talk about something positive, and that is the announcement today from the Minister for Communications and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications about the round 1 of the Mobile Black Spot Program. I sat in this place in 2008 and watched the then Labor government remove $2.4 billion from the telecommunications infrastructure fund. For six years, not one cent went into mobile phone coverage. I am pleased to say that today the minister announced that in the seat of Parkes there will be 10 new base stations going up. So communities and locations like Goolma, Gamboon, Grattai, Lue, Mumbil, Pilliga, Windeyer, Manna Mountain, Oakdene and places on the Newell Highway, who have been removed from the 21st century because they have had no mobile phone access, now will get it.

Thanks to the great example of cooperation between the federal government and my colleagues in New South Wales, their contribution has pretty well doubled the outcome in New South Wales, and this is really good news for the people of the bush. I acknowledge that there are some locations that missed out this time. Round 2 will commence shortly and I will be working very closely with my state colleagues to make sure that those other locations are addressed as well.

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