Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've got a very clear message when it comes to Telstra, Optus and Vodafone: you must sort out your mess. I feel so sorry for the residents in Clyde and Clyde North, Berwick and Casey Fields, with the empty promises made when it comes to mobile-black-spot reception.

Back in 2019, I and the then communications minister had a forum at Lifestyle Berwick Waters in Clyde North. There were representatives there from Telstra and Vodafone and they explained to us how we had this growth coming in, in Clyde North, and they said they would put some towers up and give the reception required to residents living there. It has been a false and empty promise—or you could even say a lie—for this simple reason: it has never happened. It has never occurred. At the moment, you have two towers out there. There's one at 585 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Clyde North, which Telstra manages; it's kind of half-proposed and half-built. The other one is at 160 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne East; this is owned by Vodafone, and Telstra needs to co-locate there. It's like a deliberate action by the telecommunication multinationals to give the worst possible service to the local residents.

I've had meetings in the past with Minister Paul Fletcher's office, and they've been given assurances which have been given to me. I know the state Labor members have also had these assurances from Telstra. It's an absolute disgrace that promises have been made to the community and the towers are there and they won't be turned on. I feel so sorry for those residents. Every time they, like me, get told: 'Hey, it's about to be switched on,' and it never occurs. People keep waiting.

It's very unsafe if a person is in an emergency situation and they don't have that reception. When it comes to, for example, kids doing their homework, it makes it, again, exceptionally difficult. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when it came to running businesses from home, again, it has been incredibly tough for them.

So my assurance to those residents is that I will fight tooth and nail against Telstra and Vodafone and Optus—though I feel a bit sorry for Optus because they're not in the game but the residents are telling me they should be. It's a disgrace that this is happening to people in the south-east of Melbourne, in my electorate of La Trobe, in the fastest-growing growth corridor in the electorate. Since 2016 it has grown by 8,388 people and soon there'll be 70,000 people. This is an absolute disgrace. They need this service and they need it now.