The safety of regional Australians has been put in jeopardy by the federal Labor Government after it decided to scrap the Mobile Black Spot Program.
Buried deep on page 220 of Labor’s Budget Paper One, released last week, it states the funding for communications programs will fall, including: “…the conclusion of the Mobile Black Spot Program.” The Budget papers confirm that funding for the Mobile Black Spot Program ceases in 2026/27, with zero dollars allocated for 2027/28.
Leader of The Nationals, David Littleproud, said Labor’s decision to abolish this critical program could put the lives of regional Australians at risk.
“Mobile phone coverage is not a given in many parts of rural, regional, and remote Australia, and having mobile service can mean the difference between life and death,” Mr. Littleproud said. “The Mobile Black Spot program sought to address this issue, but this Labor government has callously thrown this lifesaving initiative on the scrap heap. This decision is just further proof that this Labor government doesn’t give a toss about regional Australia.”
Mr. Littleproud said Labor’s decision to discontinue the Mobile Black Spot Program comes after it shamelessly prioritised Labor-held seats when allocating funds during the most recent round of the program.
“The fact Labor allocated funding to 40 of its electorates while only providing funding to 10 Coalition electorates is plain and simple pork barrelling,” Mr. Littleproud said. “That means 74 percent of target locations are in Labor-held electorates for the Mobile Black Spot Program, when anyone who has travelled on a regional or rural road knows the worst blackspots are always in our regional and rural areas.”
“The Nationals care about regional Australia and are committed to ensuring everyone has access to adequate mobile phone coverage, regardless of where they live.”
