Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My planned trip earlier this year to Flinders Island was thwarted due to COVID-19, so I was thrilled to get back to the beautiful island at the end of September. I met with small businesses, community organisations, tourism representatives and school students, and I caught up with the locals. The visit concluded on a high note, with a community gathering to launch the $11 million Flinders and Cape Barren Islands telecommunications upgrade project. With $8 million in funding from the federal government under the Building Better Regions Fund, the project is a perfect example of how collaboration can deliver significant outcomes to regional communities. With the balance of funding coming from the Flinders Island council, the Tasmanian government and Telstra, one of our state's most remote communities now has access to the latest in communication technology, so our remote communities are not left behind. Most of those I met with on my trip will benefit in some way from the boosted connectivity and improved mobile and internet services. During my visit, I was able to coordinate a Zoom call between the Flinders Island Aboriginal Association and Minister Wyatt, a meeting that would not have been possible without the upgrade. In a community that knows isolation well, even before a global pandemic, this upgrade has provided much-needed services, allowing locals to stay more connected to the world and to conduct their business online. This has opened a whole new world of possibility.