Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have received a petition from 1,407 residents and visitors from the suburbs of Fern Bay and Fullerton Cove. This petition has been found in order by the Standing Committee on Petitions, and I hereby present the petition to the House.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable The Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives

This petition of residents and visitors of Fern Bay and Fullerton Cove near Newcastle in New South Wales draws to the attention of the House: the serious deficiencies in mobile telecommunications infrastructure in the area and the risk this poses to residents and visitors in case of emergency. Residents in these communities have little or no access to mobile phone coverage and telecommunications companies have failed to provide new infrastructure investments to address the poor service.

We therefore ask the House to: acknowledge the serious problems associated with the absence of mobile phone coverage in the area and to make available funds which would assist in the establishment of new mobile phone infrastructure to provide service to Fern Bay and Fullerton Cove.

from 1407 citizens

  Petition received.

The petition relates to a serious mobile phone reception issue affecting residents and visitors of Fern Bay and Fullerton Cove in the north of my electorate. The terms of the petition draw the House's attention to the serious deficiencies in mobile telecommunications infrastructure in the area and the risk this poses to residents and visitors in case of emergency. Residents who are most at risk are mostly elderly and at great risk of health emergencies.

The petitioners have asked the government to make available funds that would assist in the establishment of new mobile phone infrastructure to service this community. I have on multiple occasions raised the issue of poor service in the area with the Minister for Communications, as have residents from the communities in question. In one response from the then communications minister, now Prime Minister, residents were told flatly that if they did not like the service they were getting they could just shop around for providers. Residents were rightly offended at the minister's advice and told me that shopping around does them absolutely no good—adequate service is not available from any provider.

I have also nominated the area in every round of the Mobile Black Spot Program, only to be told that Fern Bay is ineligible for the program as it is apparently located in the 'Newcastle urban area'. It turns out that Fern Bay is located just hundreds of metres from a so-called eligible area. It is my argument with the government that the allocation of funds under the program should in fact be linked to areas of greatest demonstrated need, not proximity to an arbitrary line on a map. I call on the government to address the needs of the Fern Bay community and either change the eligibility status of the Mobile Black Spot Program or make alternative funds available to improve mobile infrastructure in areas of greatest need.

I have also spoken many times in this House regarding the devastating impact of the soil and groundwater contamination on RAAF Base Williamtown and surrounding offsite areas in my electorate. On 4 September, the people of Newcastle woke to the headline 'Toxicity warning around air base'. This was shocking news to many in the community, including me. Last November, Labor moved to establish a Senate inquiry into the matter. A public hearing was held in late December and a report by the inquiring committee handed down last Thursday. The report recommended that the Commonwealth voluntarily acquire property that is no longer fit for purpose due to contamination. It also recommended that compensation be offered to commercial fishermen as well as the purchase of relevant fishing rights of those affected. If rights are purchased, it said an industry transition program must also be considered. Other recommendations included providing additional mental health support services, establishing a joint Commonwealth-New South Wales task force to coordinate the response of government, and funding a program of annual blood tests for residents. Rather than deliver a response to the report—a response that the community most definitely deserves—the Turnbull government has continued to defer and delay.

In Senate estimates this week, Defence Minister Payne revealed that she has not visited Williamtown in the five months since news of the contamination broke and had not met with residents, in Newcastle or here in Canberra. The minister also refused to confirm when the Turnbull government would be likely to respond to the report. The community and business owners affected by this crisis have been in a holding pattern since they were first told about the contamination in September 2015. I cannot overstate the level of financial distress and anxiety that those families and those men, women and affected businesses in my community are under. They are entitled to an immediate response from the Turnbull government. It is time for Minister Payne to show the leadership that the Williamtown community deserve: she must hear their concerns firsthand, and deliver real action and outcomes for those who are doing it the toughest.