Local Connectivity Issues In Spotlight: Regional Aussies Invited To Have Their Say

Communities across regional, rural and remote Australia can now have their say on telecommunications issues as public submissions open on the Regional Telecommunications Review.

The input of local communities will form an essential part of the Review - held once every three years - which will see the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee deliver recommendations to the Government.

The Review is closely examining the experiences of people in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia with telecommunications delivery, and considering the unique needs of First Nations communities.

Residents, businesses and community organisations can submit an application, with the Terms of Reference, announced by Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, outlining key issues for the committee to examine.

The focus is how the universal service arrangements could be modernised to meet today’s needs, the potential of emerging technologies, the effectiveness of existing Government investment programs, and the improvement of telecommunications in emergencies.

The Committee has already visited Western Australia and Tasmania for face-to-face consultations, withlocal issues forming an important part of their considerations.

More face-to-face consultation locations will be announced soon.

The 2024 Review is being led by the Hon Alannah MacTiernan, former Western Australia Minister for Regional Development as Chair of the Review Committee.

She is supported by the Hon Fiona Nash, Kristy Sparrow, Dr Jessa Rogers and Ian Kelly.

Ms MacTiernan said access to telecommunications services is critical for regional residents and business across so many aspects of everyday life.

“We want to understand the lived experience of these services so that future policy actions are well-targeted and backed up by evidence,” she said.

“With technology charging rapidly we also want your ideas about how things can be improved and what would make the most difference for you and your community.

“We really encourage Australians in the bush to have their say via a submission or completing the survey in coming months, while we continued our face-to-face consultations across the country.”

Feedback from the public has been essential in previous reviews to ensure the Committee’s recommendations are well-targeted and based on evidence.

There are three ways you can have your say:

• Attend a face-to-face consultation;
• Provide a formal submission; or
• Complete a survey.

The survey will be published this month.

Visit www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/2024-regional-telecommunications-review to have your say.

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