LETTER TO THE EDITOR – ADDRESSING MOBILE BLACKSPOTS

Dear Editor,

The South Australian State Labor Government recently held their ‘Country Cabinet’ in Naracoorte. During their visit to the South East, the Premier Peter Malinauskas announced a State Government contribution of $5.5 million to support Telstra’s proposal for 27 new mobile phone towers across the Limestone Coast.

An application currently sits with the Federal Government’s Regional Connectivity Program for these 27 towers which, if successful, will attract a total investment of more than $27 million to see 2,400 square kms of new 4G Telstra coverage rolled out across the Limestone Coast.

Obviously, I support building additional mobile phone towers in Barker, I expect everyone does.  I welcome the State Government’s investment in the Limestone Coast and Telstra knows any application to the Federal Government for funding to address mobile black spots in my electorate has my endorsement.

I was however, surprised to hear that the State Government has committed to invest so heavily in one corner of our State while so many regional areas across South Australia are experiencing mobile coverage issues.  27 towers for the Limestone Coast but none for the Riverland, Murraylands, Mallee and Barossa isn’t the way I would go about dealing with the mobile blackspot problem.

It’s almost as if those regions as well as so many others across the State have found their very own blackspot in the Premier’s blind spot!

Tony Pasin MP

Member for Barker

Media Contact: Charlotte Edmunds 8724 7730