Regional Victorians have only a week left to speak up about their phone service issues ahead of the 3G network shut down next month.
The Regional Telecommunications Review will be shaped by the input of local communities to deliver recommendations to the Federal Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland and the Australian Government.
The Committee has been examining the experiences of people in regional, rural, and remote parts of Australia and the suitability of their telecommunications services.
Chair of the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee, the Hon Alannah MacTiernan urges locals to spread the word about the Review before it closes on Wednesday 31 July at 11:59pm.
“Ever since Telstra was privatised nearly 20 years ago, there’s been concerns that the bush would miss out on investment,” MacTiernan says.
“People in regional, rural and remote Australia are relying on telecommunications services more than ever before and reliable, high-speed connectivity supports public safety, day-to-day business, social inclusion and access to essential health and education services.
“We’ve got a sparsely populated contentiant, so people are concerned about the digital divide.”
The Telecommunications Review is held once every three years – with previous reviews leading to policy initiatives and programs such as the Mobile Black Spot Program and the National Audit of Mobile Coverage, all a direct result of community feedback.
“This review has been in place now for a number of years now to make sure that this fundamental issue of digital capability in the bush does not fall off the radar,” MacTiernan says.
Residents, businesses and community organisations can make a submission or complete the survey, with the Terms of Reference outlining key issues for the Committee to examine. An issues paper has also been released to shape ideas.
Locals can have their say by making a submission online or in writing in the post to GPO Box 594, CANBERRA ACT 2601. For interstate readers, face-to-face consultations are still to be held in southern NSW, north Western Australia, and the Northern Territory – with one recently held in Rochester.
The key focus areas in the Review, include:
- opportunities for new and emerging technologies to strengthen telecommunications systems in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia
- effectiveness of existing government initiatives
- modernisation of the universal services arrangements
- strengthening telecommunications in natural disasters
- extent to which the needs of First Nations communities are being met
The Chair is joined on the Committee by Ian Kelly, Kristy Sparrow, Hon Fiona Nash and Dr Jessa Rogers, due to report to Minister Rowland by 31 December 2024.
“This opportunity comes around only once every three years and we are in the final stretch before the Committee delivers its recommendations back to government,” MacTiernan says.
For more information on the Review, to make a submission, or to complete the survey, visit: https://www.rtirc.gov.au/consultation
