LATEST MOBILE BLACKSPOT ROUND CONTINUES TO EXCLUDE BUSHFIRE PRONE AREAS

Some of the Blue Mountains’ most bushfire prone areas are again being excluded from eligibility under the Federal Government’s latest round of Mobile Blackspot funding, but Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman said she wanted to hear from residents across the mountains.

Ms Susan Templeman said poor mobile coverage affected the whole of the Blue Mountains, but only areas west of Linden would be considered for funding under Round 4 of the Mobile Blackspot Program.

“Anyone living or driving through the Blue Mountains will know there are large areas that suffer from poor to zero mobile reception,” she said. “That’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a big problem when bushfires are a feature of every single summer.

“With the NBN replacing all landlines, thousands of residents risk being left without any form of communication if the power goes down.

 “Every village in the Blue Mountains has mobile blackspots, but the Government won’t include any that are west of Linden because they don’t qualify as regional.

“The Government clearly knows its eligibility criteria are flawed – because they made a one-off exception by including Yellow Rock.

“I want to hear where ALL the gaps in mobile coverage are because we need to prioritise community and emergency services’ needs.

“There are already 72 registered blackspots in the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury, but only eight have been funded. Of those, some are still awaiting construction.

 “Now with an election around the corner, The Federal Government is asking residents to identify further gaps in mobile coverage – but yet again, they’re excludi