Farrer's Mobile Black Spots Exposed

Federal Member for Farrer, Sussan Ley, welcomed to the electorate today Paul Fletcher MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications, who is responsible for implementing the Government’s $100 million Mobile Black Spot Programme.

“The Coalition is working to deliver on its election promise to invest $100 million to improve mobile phone coverage in outer metropolitan, regional and remote communities around Australia,” Mr Fletcher said.

The Programme has two elements:

• the $80 million Mobile Network Expansion Project will improve mobile coverage along major transport routes, in small communities and in areas that are prone to experiencing natural disasters; and
• the $20 million Mobile Black Spot Project will improve mobile coverage in locations with unique coverage problems such as areas with high demand for services.

“We’re focussing on three specific areas in the electorate today; each of those highlight the programme’s funding criteria and each case perfectly argues the reason this initiative is so important,” Ms Ley said.    

“Poor mobile phone coverage is a significant concern in many areas of Farrer. Lives can literally depend on accessing a mobile network in emergencies, so better coverage has clear benefits to public safety as well as to the productive capacity of our communities,” Ms Ley said.

The Government is accepting nominations of mobile black spots until the end of June 2014. Anyone wishing to report a mobile black spot can email [email protected]