Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Reliable mobile coverage is an essential service for every Australian, regardless of where they live, from the regions to the suburbs. When you move into a newly built suburb, you expect to have access to decent connectivity. But this hasn't been the experience of residents in The Ponds in my electorate. Households have been frustrated with poor mobile coverage since the suburb was built close to a decade ago. Too many residents are unable to make calls from their homes, instead forced to go outside into the street to make a call, or even to the next suburb along. And calls that do connect often continually drop out. As their local member, I've made it a priority to drive a practical solution to improve coverage for the good people of The Ponds. Our concerted community advocacy led to the construction of a new mobile tower. Optus and Telstra have since switched on their signals and the data shows it's being used by more than 3,000 customers in the area. We've been working to bring Vodafone-TPG to the table so their customers can also get the connectivity they deserve.

But, despite the new tower, we are still hearing that mobile coverage issues persist. It's my priority to work for my constituents and follow up on their concerns, and this is a most pressing one. My team and I were out in The Ponds last weekend to find out more about people's experiences. The initial feedback shows that, while mobile phone reception is improving for some, the experience is not shared. This is not good enough. To the local residents of The Ponds: I want to hear from you. I've launched an online survey asking for you to share your coverage experiences over the last few months, since the tower was constructed. Your experiences will help me better understand where coverage is at its worst and fight for our community. The good people of The Ponds deserve access to reliable mobile coverage. It's not a 'nice to have'; it's a necessity, and one that I will continue to fight for—for you and your family.