LABOR FAILS TO DELIVER ON THEIR DODGY MOBILE BLACK SPOT PROMISE

TONY PASIN MP

MEMBER FOR BARKER

ASSISTANT SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT

MEDIA RELEASE

LABOR FAILS TO DELIVER ON THEIR DODGY MOBILE BLACK SPOT PROMISE

Member for Barker Tony Pasin MP says Labor’s failure to deliver on their promise to improve mobile telecommunications at 12 sites hand-picked by Minister Michelle Rowland is further proof of the Labor Government’s incompetence to improve mobile phone coverage for rural and regional Australia.

Round 6 of the Mobile Black Spot Program saw 54 sites hand-picked by the Communications Minister, 74 per cent of which were in Labor electorates, and none in Barker despite hundreds of local, community identified black spots across the Barker electorate.

“To add salt to the wound, Labor’s inability to understand the issue means that despite intending to funnel money into 12 of these sites, they can’t because there was no interest from any mobile telecommunications operator to even apply or the applications didn’t stack up,” Mr Pasin said.

“Labor’s management of the Mobile Black Spot program has been dodgy from the start. Labor has taken a centralised approach to the process, dictating to operators and the Australian people where taxpayers money should be spent rather than allowing grassroots community and telecommunications operators to work together to identify and propose solutions to mobile black spots,” Mr Pasin said.

“The 54 sites were chosen based on the political interests of the Labor Party, and 12 of them don’t even stack up. Meanwhile, there are communities in Barker like Maaoupe who have all their ducks lined up but weren’t eligible to apply under Round 6,” M Pasin said.

An investigation by the Auditor-General into the Labor Government’s handling of Round 6 is currently underway with outcomes due to be tabled in May 2024.

Media Contact: Charlotte Edmunds 8724 7730