Kristy McBain Calling for Your Views on Eden-Monaro Telecommunications

The Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee has recently released its Issues Paper, and Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain, is encouraging people from the electorate to share their views on regional telecommunications, focusing on where improvements need to be made, both in everyday life and during future emergencies.

Ms McBain explained that “This review only occurs every three years, so this is our chance to help set up the Australian Government’s regional telecommunications agenda for the coming years. The last review occurred before the bushfires, which means people on the ground will have a lot of important insights about telecommunications in emergencies that need to be shared.”

Covid-19 has changed telecommunications, particularly in terms of working from home, telehealth, home-schooling. and accessing government information, so it makes sense of members of the community to highlight areas where telecommunications has been less than adequate.

“The Issues Paper sets out areas of interest for the review and the main focus is the adequacy of the telecommunications people in regional, rural and remote Australia use on a day-to-day basis,” Ms McBain said.

“I recently hosted a telecommunications meeting in Narooma and it was clear that for many people, everyday telecommunications options are not adequate and not meeting the needs of the community.

“But there are new and emerging technologies that could help, we just need to make sure it is on the agenda for all tiers of government to improve telecommunications in the Eden-Monaro.

“We know how important clear and reliable communication is during and emergency. We need to learn from the past and ensure that our telecommunication services are available when we need them most.”

Ms McBain encouraged Eden-Monaro residents to head to her website and fill out her Mobile Blackspot survey, saying, “The first step in fixing any system is identifying its flaws. This is why I’m asking people to provide me with the details of any mobile blackspots in their area.”

You can complete the Eden-Monaro mobile blackspot survey here: https://www.kristymcbain.com.au/share-your-ideas/mobile-blackspot-survey/

The Issues Paper, consultation dates, and details on how to make a submission can be found at www.rtirc.gov.au. Written submissions should be lodged by Thursday, 30 September 2021.

• Topics:

• Science & Technology
• Communications