Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to table a petition regarding mobile blackspots in Haynes and Hilbert, in my electorate, which has been found to be in order by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Petitions. I was contacted back in July by one of my constituents, Blake Foster, who lives in a brand new property in Haynes in the south of my electorate. Haynes and Hilbert are two rapidly growing residential areas in Perth's south-east, which itself is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Mr Foster could not use his mobile phone in his house. He had not even a single bar of reception. And this problem is replicated in almost every one of the more than 250 homes in Haynes, across every network.

In the 21st century, every person deserves mobile reception—it is not a luxury; it is a necessity—even more so as landline connections slowly become a thing of the past. That includes those who live in remote areas. We have to be realistic, this is a big country and not every square inch will have coverage. But this blackspot is particularly galling for residents in Haynes, as they live just 30km from the Perth CBD.

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