Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

( I am pleased to speak to the House today to launch my latest campaign: 'Hey Durack, where is your mobile black spot?' As I am sure some my colleagues are very tired of hearing—I have said it numerous times before—Durack is indeed a unique and vast electorate. Spanning over 1.5 million square kilometres, it is the largest electorate in the continent and the second largest in the world. Each portfolio of the federal government, of course, is important to Durack, including health, education and agriculture. But telecommunications coverage is one common problem which my constituents all talk to me about, from as far north as Wyndham in the Kimberley, out to Wiluna in the mid west, and as far east as Merredin in the Wheatbelt. Mobile reception is also an issue which impacts each sector: hospitals and health care, primary and secondary schooling—education—and businesses of all shapes and sizes.

As we can see, mobile reception is greatly important in my electorate. The Turnbull government and I understand that. That is why I am pleased to launch my latest campaign. I will say it again: 'Hey Durack, where is your mobile black spot?' This will be my campaign to improve telecommunications across Durack. Once we ascertain which towns in Durack urgently need improved coverage, there is no doubt that the newly appointed Minister for Communications will have me in his ear on a non-stop basis. My intention is not to stop until all the towns in my electorate of Durack have a similar level of basic communications infrastructure to that which is enjoyed by their city cousins.

Mobile telephone reception is having a negative impact on the backbone of both Durack's economy and the Australian economy, which we know to be small business. I include all those people who make a living on the land. This issue is quite prevalent among the thousands of farmers in my electorate and, as more and more farmers are using technologies of various descriptions, it is becoming an increasing problem. At each of the regional shows I attended in the last few weeks in Dowerin, Mullewa and Chapman Valley, the Mingenew expo and the Moora Show, farmers from right across Durack, throughout the Wheatbelt and the mid west raised the issue of poor coverage with me and explained how it is impacting their businesses and their families. Its negative impact on small businesses is preventing them from reaching their full potential. It is impacting their bottom line. Both farmers and small business owners are having their productivity reduced because of a lack of reception. What is bad for business is bad for jobs, and that is another reason why I am launching this campaign.

This issue is so deep that it is impacting what I consider to be a basic Australian right: a student's ability to access education. That too was a major theme at the Moora higher education forum which I hosted in August, together with Senator McKenzie. This campaign will improve something which those in the House will know I am passionate about: education across all levels. With improved reception, students will have greater access to education options and be able to access something which many in the city just take for granted: quality internet reception. This will assist regional students of all levels—primary, secondary and higher education—with things like research for their assignments.

This is a modern-day issue. I am going to work very hard to improve reception across all levels in the electorate of Durack. Since the government and I were elected just over two years ago, we have made huge improvements in telecommunications access and reception in Durack. In June this year we delivered over $41.3 million worth of reception improvements under round 1 of the Mobile Black Spot Program. Over $10.4 million was from the federal government. Under this round we are delivering 45 new or upgraded base stations, which will address the 123 black spots my constituents reported. At the regional shows I attended, constituents from all walks of life thanked me for delivering improved reception through round 1 of the Mobile Black Spot Program, which we announced in June. I am very pleased to declare the 'Hey Durack, where is your mobile black spot?' campaign now open.