Kristy McBain
Eden-Monaro · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“I move: That in accordance with section 5 of the Parliament Act 1974 , the House approve the following proposal for work in the Parliamentary Zone, which was presented to the House on 22 June 2026, namely: Commemoration of Nangar (Jimmy Clements) and Ooloogan (George John Noble).”
“This piece will be located on the lawns opposite Old Parliament House in a setting purpose-built to suit the sculptures. Works are intended to be completed by May 2027 to align with events to mark the centenary of Old Parliament House. A design and construction team has been selected to deliver the commemoration.”
“These two men, well into their 80s at the time, had walked barefoot from the Brungle Aboriginal mission across the Brindabella Range—a multiday trek of some 150 kilometres—to attend the opening. On arrival, they were nearly evicted for their lack of appropriate attire.”
“I thank the member for Lingiari. She's a fierce advocate for her community, and her community has been severely impacted by floods and cyclones. Thank you for all the time you've spent with me in my office speaking about that.”
“I saw firsthand the impacts on our communities, from Harcourt in Victoria and Dolphin Sands in Tassie to Julia Creek in Queensland and Katherine in the NT—homes and livestock lost, businesses closed and major infrastructure damaged. And, tragically, we lost community members, including first responders.”
“They play a critical and trusted role providing services in our communities, and we know our communities rely on those. The Albanese government has a longstanding commitment to local councils, and our budget reaffirms that.”
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“No more hiding money in super, and absolutely no more to allowing bankruptcy to be used to clear the pain caused by this disgusting behaviour. Super for Survivors campaigner and local Bega community advocate David Neyle also asked me to relay his words: I started this campaign in 2017, after recognising that perpetrators of child sex offences were able to weaponise the existing legal system, and use it against victims who dared to seek civil compensation for the harm done to them. With the passing of this Bill, we can bring this abhorrent practice to an end. As one victim-survivor of Maurice Van Ryn said, after witnessing this Bill presented to Parliament in March, 2026, we have taken back the power from this monster.”
“Wishing I could just start life over again, wishing I could make this insidious pain and struggle I deal with everyday just disappear. But that's not what this is about, this is about all of us, this is about Australia, this is about the absolutely monumental effect the cause of child sexual abuse has on every aspect of Australian life. The sheer number of people who contact me to share their story—everyday my heart tearing just a little bit more. We should not have had to spend our lives suffering because of a decision adults made towards us as innocent children. We need a change, we need to heal, Australia needs to heal. So I beg you, please help us heal. Please help us heal at the expense of the responsible party, not at the expense of the rest of Australia.”
“Other campaigners that I would like to thank for their sustained efforts include Nicholas Cavanagh, who was another victim of Maurice Van Ryn; Edan's grandmother Carolyn Kelly, who is a solicitor on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales; David Neyle, a Super for Survivors campaigner and local community advocate from the Bega Valley; Andrew Carpenter, a partner at Websters Lawyers; Fighters Against Child Abuse Australia founder Adam Washbourne; abuse survivor, actor and advocate Madeleine West; and all the campaigners from the Super for Survivors campaign. In preparation for delivering this speech, Edan asked me to say this: I know there is a lot of anger around this topic of survivors—and everyone wants to 'get revenge' on these monsters and make them pay. And I've been angry, so bloody angry.”
“I want to extend my genuine gratitude and admiration to victims-survivors like Edan Van Haren for their bravery to sustain this campaign and push the government to make our laws fairer for victims. For Edan, this took countless meetings with the Assistant Treasurer and the Attorney-General to iron out the specific ways this reform could be implemented that could stand against challenge and pass through the parliament as quickly as possible after introduction.”
“Under the existing laws, this would extinguish his debt and deny victims-survivors justice. This legal escape-clause allowed Van Ryn's abuse of Edan to continue, hiding his superannuation against the compensation he owed to his victims. When I was first elected as the member for Eden-Monaro, in 2020, the campaigners for this change in my community came to me and explained the work that had already been done. I was moved enough to use my privileged position to take up this cause. I want to thank Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and Assistant Treasurer Dan Mulino, who have worked tirelessly to deliver this life-changing reform for victims-survivors. These new laws will close a deeply unjust loophole and give victims-survivors access to the compensation they are owed.”
“A 2019 Deloitte study estimated that violence against children and young people cost $11.2 billion in New South Wales alone. This legislation is deeply personal to many people in my electorate. I have heard their stories and have been moved by their courage. The passage of this bill is the culmination of a sustained and honourable campaign by a dedicated collection of people in my electorate of Eden-Monaro. Everyone in the Bega Valley was shaken by the crimes committed by Maurice Van Ryn, who was convicted of abusing nine children between 2003 and 2014. Van Ryn was also convicted of abusing a 10th child in 2019. In 2023 the Supreme Court of New South Wales awarded the 10th victim, Edan Van Haren, $1.4 million in damages for the abuse he endured. Van Ryn then declared bankruptcy in December 2023.”
“Our compensation legislation should support victims and victims-survivors. Under these reforms, where a court-ordered compensation debt remains unpaid after 12 months, victims-survivors will be able to seek access, through a court order, to certain superannuation contributions made by the offender. This includes additional personal and salary-sacrifice contributions, which have previously been used as a vehicle to shield assets from enforcement. An important component of this schedule ensures that compensation debts do not disappear through bankruptcy. By allowing these debts to survive bankruptcy proceedings, we are reinforcing a clear and necessary message: financial manoeuvring must not override moral and legal responsibility. Bankruptcy should not be a refuge from accountability for serious harm.”
“In rising to support this bill, I want to acknowledge the deep pain and hurt of members of my own community. This legislation seeks to right an historic wrong that affected people in communities across Australia, including my own. These are people who have already suffered too much: victims-survivors of child sexual abuse. This legislation follows a fundamental principle that perpetrators of child sexual abuse should not be able to hide from accountability. Trauma does not end when the abuse ends. For many survivors, it is something that they must navigate every day, often in silence and without adequate support. Some survivors face barriers to stable employment and financial security, meaning the harm they experience is not only emotional and psychological but also material.”
“I'm glad to stand here today to have another opportunity to talk about regional Australia. It's one of my favourite pastimes, although I was a bit surprised that the member for Riverina chose to raise our record on delivering for regional Australia this week. Going by the results of the Farrer by-election, I would have thought that the Nationals and Liberals might want to stay quiet for a bit longer. They've got a lot of work to do to win back the trust of regional Australia—a lot of work.”
“Bente is also dedicated to education, delivering training to nursing, medical and allied health staff to enhance medication safety and the quality use of medicines. She's played a key role in supporting pharmacists as they transition to new credentialing requirements for medication management reviews, ensuring that high-quality pharmacy continues to serve in rural communities. Beyond her professional responsibilities, Bente regularly volunteers at markets, offering health checks, medication advice and health education to community members. I'm sure the member for Dobell, a former pharmacist, joins me in congratulating Bente on this well-deserved recognition. You're an inspiration to us all.”
“I also want to rise today to congratulate Bente Hart of Braidwood for being named the 2026 New South Wales Pharmacist of the Year by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. Bente is a credentialed pharmacist whose leadership, proactive approach to problem solving and unwavering commitment to rural and vulnerable populations have left a significant mark on the profession and the community she serves. Her outstanding work spans multipurpose services and residential aged-care homes, where she has led medication audits, supported national antimicrobial prescribing surveys and tackled quality improvement issues related to medications. These efforts have been vital in strengthening clinical governance and patient safety in rural health facilities.”
“I'm absolutely thrilled to share that the Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council has been recognised nationally, taking home bronze in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experiences category at the 2025 Australian Tourism Awards. What an incredible achievement. After celebrating gold at the New South Wales Tourism Awards, this national honour is a massive achievement for the entire far south coast and the wider Eden-Monaro community. This award is testament to the hard work and shared vision behind cultural tourism experiences at Jigamy and along the Bundian Way. I want to give a heartfelt congratulations to the dedicated tour guides, elders, managers and partners. This recognition cements the far south coast as a growing destination for truly authentic Aboriginal cultural tourism.”
“I rise today to celebrate the recent official opening of the Kennedy retirement village. The village was officially opened on 16 March, and the Kennedy village is the product of an extraordinary act of kindness. Third generation Bombala farming siblings Herb and Laura Kennedy passed away within days of each other in 2014. They bequeathed a generous amount of land and money to the Bombala community to construct a retirement village. The Kennedy village is run by Sapphire Coast Community Aged Care and is located next to the Bombala Anglican church right in the centre of town. It has 15 two-bedroom single-storey villas to meet the needs of the community. It is incredible to see this community work supporting one another in Bombala. Vale to Herb and Laura.”
“I want to thank all the members in this place and the other place who have been supporting local communities over this season. Our government is working year-round to prepare communities in the face of natural disasters. We recently announced 96 projects in round 3 of our $200 million Disaster Ready Fund. It included projects such as levee upgrades, flood mitigation works, bushfire warning systems and cyclone shelters. We've established the national emergency stockpile so that we can provide supplies from sandbags to emergency accommodation and electricity generation. We've increased funding to the National Aerial Firefighting Fleet. It's been a really tough, high-risk weather season for communities, but, across all levels of government, we'll continue to help communities recover. (Time expired)”
“In Harcourt and Ruffy, people gathered at makeshift relief centres where locals were supporting each other, running barbecues, providing ice drinks, nonperishables—real Aussie mateship on display. More flooding then followed in Queensland and in the Northern Territory, followed by Tropical Cyclone Narelle. We saw communities in Katherine, Daly River, Palumpa, Numbulwar and Jilkminggan evacuated. I give a shout-out to the ADF, including RAAF Base Tindal, for volunteering their own time to support local communities before a formal request was lodged for clean-up support. Disaster recovery funding arrangements have been activated in all of these areas, as well as a number of Australian government payments to support communities.”
“I want to give a shout-out to the crew at the Julia Creek Tyre Centre who hosted not only a number of people in this place but also a number of community events. The Cloncurry Airport was significantly damaged, and I joined the Prime Minister and the Treasurer at the airport where we announced funding for its repair. Of course, we then had a record heatwave across southern Australia, which brought devastating impacts to Western Australia and Victoria in January. Our paid and volunteer fire crews did an absolutely amazing job in what were relentless conditions, battling fires for a number of weeks, supported by crews from across the country, as well as New Zealand and Canada. I saw firsthand the community spirit in towns like Alexandra, Euroa, Ruffy, Bendigo and Harcourt.”
“I thank the member for Cook for her question and acknowledge the impact the bushfires have had on her own electorate. This higher risk weather season started with Tropical Cyclone Fina, which impacted the Top End as well as the northern Kimberley coast in Western Australia. I met with communities impacted by Fina on the Tiwi Islands and in Darwin, seeing the damage firsthand and meeting with officials at the incident control centre in Darwin. Following Fina, Australia experienced bushfires in New South Wales and Tasmania. I spoke with locals impacted in Kariong and Dolphin Sands about what they had experienced and met with local fire crews. December saw the start of storm season with monsoons impacting North and north-west Queensland, and we saw significant livestock losses, road closures and towns cut off.”
“There are some legends in the gallery today, such as Ben Tudhope, who give Australia hope on the world stage; the group at Tribe Breweries, who are a corporate company providing support to families when they need it most, and to our firefighters from Victoria first responders, who go in to assist communities when they need it most.”
“The shires of Exmouth, Carnarvon and Shark Bay will be eligible for recovery assistance measures, including emergency assistance for eligible individuals and families to meet their immediate and essential needs, including to replace essential household items and to support minor repairs to their homes. Residents will also have access to wellbeing services, and we stand ready to assist further following additional impact assessments. The impacts of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle have been incredibly destructive across Australia's north and west coasts. We will continue to work closely with all state and territory governments as we move through response to the recovery phase. And Mr Speaker, can I just add my sentiments to yours?”
“Learmonth airport remains restricted to emergency services only, and the ADF through RAAF Bass Learmonth is supporting those operations due to damage and debris to the civilian aerodrome. My colleague the member for Fremantle and the Assistant Minister for Emergency Management will be on the ground today with Premier Cook. We've been working closely with the WA government as this event unfolded. I've been in contact with my WA counterpart, Minister Papalia, to offer support and assistance, and I've also been in contact with the member for Durack to offer support as well. Today we have enacted our disaster recovery funding arrangements with the WA government to provide support to those impacted communities.”
“Our government has worked really closely with both the Northern Territory and Queensland governments to activate disaster recovery funding arrangements really quickly to get support where it needs to go. Personal hardship payments are available in Queensland and the NT across a number of areas. But over the weekend Western Australia felt the brunt of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle. The system made its way down the Pilbara coast, bringing wind gusts of 250 kilometres an hour and over 350 millimetres of rain in Exmouth. We know already a number of homes are without roofs in Exmouth, power is intermittent, lines are down and trees have been uprooted. The impacts to the Ningaloo Reef are also devastating. But clean up is under way and further impact assessments are being made.”
“I thank the member for Moore. I know he's been watching the impacts of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle closely as it's impacted his home state of WA. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle has, for the first time since 2005, impacted all three jurisdictions across the tropical north. For a number of communities, particularly Queensland and the Northern Territory, Narelle has been a very unwelcome visitor in what has been a relentless season, with repeated major floods already impacting a number of communities. Narelle first made landfall near Coen in Queensland on the eastern side of the cape as a category 4 system, and of course that followed weeks of flooding across the north and north-west related to a monsoon trough and Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji. It follows extensive flooding in Daly River and Katherine, which is still ongoing.”
“Disaster recovery is a long and challenging road, but the Albanese government is here for the long term and will continue to work with all the states and territories as we move from response to recovery this high-risk weather season.”
“This morning in the National Situation Room, I received a further updated brief, and today Tropical Cyclone Narelle will make its way down the WA coast as a severe category 3, with wind gusts up to 185 kilometres an hour. It may strengthen to a category 4 before it impacts the far western Pilbara coast tonight. People should stay vigilant, as conditions will change quickly. Follow flood advice warnings, be prepared to enact your emergency plan and ensure your emergency kit has everything you need, including food supplies, spare batteries and important documents. I've been in contact with my WA counterpart, Minister Papalia in the WA government, and offered the Albanese government's support and assistance.”
“We've had ADF personnel on the ground in Katherine for clean-up support as well as helping with the evacuation of hundreds of people from Numbulwar to Darwin. We also have an AUSMAT field hospital which has been set up in East Katherine to assist with transfers from Katherine District Hospital. In Queensland, we have jointly activated disaster recovery funding arrangements in 61 local government areas. Long-term recovery will be strengthened by a suite of additional support packages worth over $107 million, funded jointly by the Albanese and Crisafulli governments. This builds on the more than $66 million in measures already announced in response to the Queensland monsoon trough, Cyclone Koji and severe weather events that commenced on 24 December last year.”
“NEMA activated the national Crisis Coordination Team to assist with planning for, and coordination of, the Australian government's response. We've had NEMA officials embedded in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia to provide support during these events, and we've been working really closely with the Northern Territory and Queensland governments to enact a range of assistance packages. In the Northern Territory, we've activated support in 20 local government areas, with personal hardship assistance available in nine local government areas and three unincorporated areas. This is in addition to the Australian government disaster recovery payment being activated in a number of areas, including Katherine, Daly River and Palumpa.”
“I thank the member for Lingiari for her question, and I thank her, the member for Solomon, the member for Leichhardt and, in the other place, the Minister for Indigenous Australians for their commitment to keeping communities informed and safe in what has been an incredibly difficult period in the north, with floods and cyclones. I also want to acknowledge our emergency services workers—from the SES to health workers, from first responders to our defence personnel—and spontaneous volunteers who have been working incredibly hard in extremely tough conditions. Last Thursday, we held two National Coordination Mechanism meetings for Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle to provide situational awareness on the weather impacts and ensure preparedness across government and agencies.”
“Our Labor government is building the infrastructure and services regional communities rely on, and the biggest risk to this progress is a Liberal-National coalition always inventing new ways to take Australia backwards, as they did with a copper broadband. Our vision is clear. We want a connected Australia. No matter where you live or what you do, you deserve the ability to connect. I know that yesterday the former leader of the Nationals, the member for Maranoa, resigned saying he was 'buggered'. Buggered is exactly what those opposite did when they stuffed the NBN, inland rail, the infrastructure investment pipeline, regional grants, the North Sydney "regional" pool—the list goes on. Unlike those opposite, we are energised, and we are excited to be delivering for regional Australia.”
“AusAlert uses cell-broadcast technology to enable authorities to send targeted emergency messages to all compatible mobile devices within a 160-metre radius of an incident, moving Australia to international best practice for emergency warning communications adopted by more than 35 countries across the world. We are improving connectivity through our universal outdoor mobile obligation as well. It is a significant and important reform to bring mobile services within the universal services framework. Whether in national parks, on hiking trails or out on the farm, we want your connectivity to be accessible.”
“We also want to ensure that the NBN stays in public hands, where it belongs. This government is boosting mobile connectivity through round 8 of the Mobile Black Spot Program, including in Cessnock and Cooma in New South Wales, Townsville in Queensland and Mount Barker in South Australia. These upgrades improve connectivity for regional areas that are at risk of natural disasters, and we aren't relying on a colour-coded spreadsheet, unlike those opposite when they were in government. Of course, just last month, we announced that we're rolling out AusAlert.”
“I thank the member for Hunter for his question. He knows the importance of connectivity across regional communities. Whether you're in the outback, on the coast or in our mountains, it's completely frustrating when your phone drops out even doing the most basic of tasks. Improved connectivity not only keeps people in touch with one another it means safer roads, stronger businesses and access to key services. That's why our government is committed to improving communications in the bush. We're delivering the better connectivity plan, investing $1.1 billion in rural and regional communities. And we're delivering a $3 billion injection to upgrade Australia's remaining fibre-to-the-node network, because we recognise that fast, reliable, affordable internet is an essential building block of any modern economy.”
“It was even more fantastic to see the New South Wales governor, Her Excellency the Hon. Margaret Beazley AC, KC, open the show on Friday 27 February and present those life memberships. It ran all weekend. It was such an honour to attend and support all the producers, the stallholders and local businesses who made it possible. The Bega community centre at the Bega Showground was also put to good use thanks to more than $15 million invested by both the Australian and New South Wales governments through the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund. A big congratulations to Jada Ison for being named this year's Bega Young Woman and Miley Curtis, who was named this year's Bega Young Woman. Congratulations to both Jada and Miley, and thank you for everything you do in our community.”
“The first show was held in 1871, and there have been some disruptions due to war, bushfires, COVID and the pavilion being rebuilt. I know all of my colleagues from regional electorates know the importance of ag and pastoral shows in their communities. It brings people together. It gives people the opportunity to show off their products and livestock. And 150 years is no small feat. A big shout-out to the Bega Show committee and all the volunteers who help organise, participate in and celebrate this milestone. Your dedication made the show possible. Committee members make a really important contribution, and they make it memorable for our community, so it was so great to see life membership awarded to committee members Brett Rogers, Barb Rogers, Peter Hull, Len Crowe, Rhonda Crowe and Brad Ford.”
“Jakara Anthony became our greatest winter athlete, the only Australian to win two Winter Olympic gold medals after claiming gold in the dual moguls, and Dalmeny local Valentino Guseli delivered a fantastic effort, finishing fifth in the men's snowboard halfpipe and 10th in the men's big air. Many of Australia's winter athletes train at the National Snowsports Training Centre in Jindabyne and on the slopes of Perisher and Thredbo in the mighty Eden-Monaro. I know I speak for all of Eden-Monaro when I say we could not be prouder of the whole Winter Olympic team, especially our homegrown heroes. Whether competing on snow, on ice or in the air, they've done us incredibly proud on the world stage, and they've inspired so many people across our region. I rise to congratulate the Bega Show on their 150th show.”
“I rise today to congratulate and commend Australia's Winter Olympic team, who delivered an incredible performance at the Milano Cortina games. It is no surprise that Eden-Monaro led the medal tally, and, at one stage, Eden-Monaro was out-medalling the nations of Canada, China and New Zealand. It was so great to see local talent shining on the world stage. Eden-Monaro locals included Jindabyne's Josie Baff, who won gold in the women's snowboard cross and Cooper Woods from Pambula Beach, who took home gold for an absolutely amazing final run in the moguls—and it was great to catch up with Cooper in Pambula on the weekend.”
“Much to my surprise, there was not one mention of the regions in that review's recommendations. The Liberal Party did identify that they have even more problems with the female vote, but they promptly rolled their first female leader who's from regional Australia.”
“More projects under round 4 of the Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure program will be announced soon. We know how our Medicare urgent care clinics have been a game changer for Australia's healthcare system. There are now 126 urgent care clinics across the country, 40 of which are in regional, rural and remote Australia, and the new Nowra Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will open this week thanks to the advocacy of their local member. They are all getting rave reviews. Micah from Bega took her son to the new Bega Medicare Urgent Care Clinic recently. She said: 'It was lifechanging. It's a great service, especially when you're not sure when you need to go to the hospital emergency department.' Speaking of reviews, I read with great interest the review of the election campaign of the Liberal Party.”
“In 2024-25 alone, 102 projects in rural, regional and remote Australia shared in $64 million worth of funding under this program, and just last week I announced an investment of $3.8 million through our $200 million Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure program to support Thora, Gleniffer, Dorrigo and Bellingen communities in regional New South Wales through the replacement of two timber bridges. The communities have been asking for these upgrades for a long period of time. The Mayor of Bellingen Shire Council said the, 'council greatly values the Australian government's continued commitment to regional communities.' I'm proud to be part of a government that is delivering more money for regional roads because our communities deserve them.”
“I thank the member for Gilmore for her question. At the last election, the people of Gilmore elected her because they wanted cheaper medicines, cheaper child care, free TAFE, reduced student debt, better roads and tax cuts, and that's exactly what this side of the House is delivering. We're investing billions in remote, rural and regional Australia. We're investing in health, in education and in infrastructure, making a real difference for communities across the country. Since coming to government, we have doubled the Roads to Recovery Program to $1 billion a year which is a significant increase to every local council across the country. We've substantially increased the Black Spot Program funding, now investing $150 million a year to fix dangerous roads and intersections.”
“… … … For farmers, mobile connectivity isn't a luxury, it is essential for safety, their businesses, connecting families, and staying safe in emergencies. It has taken a Labor government to improve connectivity in the bush and on our farms because only Labor is focused on delivering for regional Australia. I commend the bill to the House.”
“The water tank level sensor, placed on one of Michael's existing water tanks, alerts Michael via phone and email if issues arise and provides him peace of mind knowing that his cattle will have access to enough water. Twenty million dollars is being committed to round 3 of the program, with applications expected to open in the second quarter of this year. These are all really important projects for people across regional communities. As I said, regional communities like mine know how important it is to be able to take advantage of new technologies, to stay connected, to work smarter and to access services. No matter where you live, you should be able to receive reliable telco services. I echo the words of the National Farmers' Federation: For too long, farmers and people in the bush have been on the wrong side of the digital divide.”
“Round 3 has awarded over $115 million towards 74 projects that respond to local priorities. The On Farm Connectivity Program will see $53 million allocated across three rounds to enable primary producers in agriculture, forestry and fisheries to extend connectivity in their fields and take advantage of connected machinery and sensor technology. After two successful rounds already, over $30 million has been invested to help primary producers implement connectivity solutions that have transformed their day-to-day operations, transformed farm management and helped with safety—including for graziers like Michael from the Riverina, who has purchased an automated rain gauge and an accompanying water tank level sensor.”
“We're delivering $50 million for the Regional Roads Australia Mobile Program, which is a government initiative to improve multicarrier mobile coverage on highways and major roads in regional and remote Australia. This includes funding for pilot programs in the states and the NT to help improve safety on our roads, to strengthen economic growth, to improve social connectivity and to support regional development. These pilot programs will test new and innovative solutions to increase mobile communications coverage on some of our regional highways and major roads. Another important program is the Regional Connectivity Program, which is funding the delivery of place based telecommunications infrastructure projects to improve digital connectivity across regional, rural and remote Australia.”
“Upgrades like this are not only important to locals and to visitors but critical for emergency services during emergencies. In other great news for regional connectivity, round 8 of the Mobile Black Spot Program will be announced soon. This $55 million investment will target natural disaster prone locations in regional and rural Australia to better assist local communities during and after an emergency. The Mobile Black Spot Program is part of the Albanese government's Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia, which is delivering more than $1.1 billion to rural and regional communities. Other programs include the Regional Roads Australia Mobile Program, the Regional Connectivity Program and the On Farm Connectivity Program.”
“It helps communities to be more connected than ever across the country. A few months ago, Mount Kosciuszko, which is one of Australia's most popular inland tourist destinations, received a major connectivity boost. A new mobile base station was completed, which provided new and improved 4G and 5G mobile coverage to that community. Mount Kosciuszko attracts millions of visitors each year, and this new facility is providing better access to emergency services, improving data connectivity and supporting productivity at the nearby tourist park. This upgrade has made a huge difference to the mobile coverage at the Kosciuszko Tourist Park, supporting tourists, supporting locals to run their businesses and helping people to keep in touch with family and friends.”
“It wants to ensure that there are industry standards that are enforceable. Our Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation will require mobile carriers to provide access to voice and SMS calls to huge areas of receptions that are currently in dead zones across the country. As I said, this policy will improve public safety. It'll increase resilience during times of natural disaster and provide an extra layer of coverage in areas previously thought too difficult or too costly to reach. Since coming to government, we have taken a range of actions to improve connectivity. The government is delivering resilient communication infrastructure to help boost connectivity and narrow the connectivity divide in regional communities. Our Mobile Black Spot Program is one of the largest ever mobile coverage expansions in regional and remote Australia.”
“Some people didn't receive their emergency text message, because their provider didn't have a tower close to them. This will help save lives and it will protect property during a disaster, which will deliver on a key finding from the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. AusAlert is another major development in Australia's emergency communication landscape, and both the establishment of AusAlert and the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation highlight the government's commitment to improve communications during a disaster. The Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation will expand baseline mobile coverage. It'll improve public safety by enabling connectivity to essential services, like AusAlert, and to triple zero. I'm proud that the government is taking connectivity seriously.”
“It will use the latest technology to enable authorities, including states and territories, to send geographically targeted emergency messages to all compatible mobile devices within a 160-metre accuracy of where the incident is occurring. This system won't be impacted by telecommunications network congestion, which means it will help communities get access to information sooner to understand risks and to make decisions about their own personal safety. This is a really important project that will help us and emergency service organisations warn people when they are in harm's way. It doesn't rely on any one telco provider, which is critical, and I know the member for Gippsland and I had those situations in the Black Summer bushfires.”
“Improved connectivity not only allows people to keep in touch with one another but it means safer roads, stronger businesses and more access to key services. Telecommunications are vital across regional Australia and, in particular, in times of natural disaster or when there's an emergency. We're currently in the middle of high-risk weather season. As the Minister for Emergency Management, I've heard from communities across Australia, including in Deputy Speaker Chesters' electorate, that staying connected during a disaster is absolutely critical. That's why last week I announced AusAlert, which is a new cell broadcast national messaging system.”
“It'll be made possible by a combination of existing terrestrial towers and new 'low Earth orbit satellite' technology, which allows for mobile signals to connect direct to device rather than rely on land based infrastructure. Yes, the bill has a proposed default date of 1 December 2027, at which time all three operators will be required to ensure that baseline mobile coverage is reasonably available outdoors throughout Australia. As someone from a regional community, I know how important connectivity is for our regions. This is a really important reform that will continue to improve connectivity for people in regional, rural and remote Australia. From the outback to the coast to the mountains, black spots are frustrating, and they make doing even the most basic tasks difficult.”