MICHELLE ROWLAND MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS

 SUSAN TEMPLEMAN MP

MEMBER FOR MACQUARIE

Reliable mobile coverage is essential for staying in touch with family and friends, conducting business, accessing services, and having a sense of safety.  

That’s why an Albanese Labor Government plans to invest $2 million to improve mobile coverage in Mount Tomah, Hawkesbury Heights, and Yellow Rock. 
 
For many residents in the Blue Mountains, mobile coverage is either unreliable or unavailable. The local terrain is challenging, and this additional investment is needed to improve coverage outcomes. 
 
This tired and arrogant Liberal Government has not delivered for these communities.  

Labor will work constructively with mobile carriers and councils to ensure outcomes for residents are delivered. 
 
Australians can and should expect to have access to high quality mobile and broadband connectivity to keep us connected to each other and to the world. 
 
An Albanese Labor Government is committed to the task of improving and boosting mobile coverage to help build a better future for local communities. 
 
Quotes attributable to Susan Templeman, Member for Macquarie: 
 
“I have taken the community’s fight about the many mobile black spot areas that continue to be neglected straight to the doorstep of the Morrison Government. I’m on the record making many submissions to government about what we need, and what we deserve, particularly in our area that is so vulnerable to natural disasters. 

“I’ve talked to the NSW Rural Fire Service about the problems they have with communications during emergencies, and they’ve said the Hawkesbury Heights and the Mount Tomah areas are particularly bad for them. 

“On top of that, Yellow Rock residents tell me where their new tower is located does not provide decent coverage to where most of their homes are. 

“Mount Tomah had its mobile tower promised, then taken away, by the Liberals in recent years. This is an area where homes were lost in the 2019/20 bushfires, and communications can mean the difference between life and death.  

“There have been promises made over nearly 10 years by numerous Liberal Governments that have not been delivered.  

“The need is urgent, and it is not too dramatic to say that lives depend on it.  

“While the years of neglect cannot be turned around overnight, put simply - we need a better deal on communications in our region. 

“This is the start of a long list of black spots that need urgent attention. 

“We want to work with telcos and the council to resolve these well-known, long-standing black spot problems that continue to plague our region.”