Farmers welcome a $48.6 million pre-Budget pledge to improve WA regional mobile and internet coverage

Farmers have welcomed a $48.6 million pre-Budget pledge by the State Government to “bridge the digital divide” by improving mobile phone and internet coverage across regional WA. The WA Regional Digital Connectivity Program, announced last Thursday, will expand mobile phone coverage and deliver high grade, flexible broadband services to regional communities from the Kimberley to the south coast. The funding will go towards new mobile base stations and fixed wireless infrastructure, upgrading the capacity and performance of existing telecommunication assets and trialing new technologies. WA Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the WARDCP would target co-investment from the Federal Government and private sector for a swag of telecommunications projects worth a total $145 million. But she told Countryman the State Government’s share would not be contingent on the Federal Government coming to the table. “This initiative is targeting co-investment of more than $2 for every $1 invested by the State Government to ensure regional businesses and communities have access to quality mobile coverage and internet services,” Ms MacTiernan said. “Our reliance on digital connectivity has grown by 50 per cent in WA since the start of the pandemic and continued investment in regional telecommunications is required to support working from home, home schooling, telehealth, supply chains and biosecurity.” The WARDCP also aims to drive regional business growth by helping primary producers and other regional enterprises improve efficiency, competitiveness and innovation. It would underpin access to emergency services, telehealth and other government and businesses services in regional WA in a bid to “improve liveability in the regions”. Ms MacTiernan would not say how much interest the Federal Government and private sector had shown in committing funding, but said the State had “a strong track record of leveraging both Federal and industry funding into WA projects”. WAFarmers president John Hassell said the funding was a “very welcome announcement”, but added that the system would need continuous upgrades as technology evolved. He also called on the Federal Government to launch a review of its Universal Service Guarantee for telecommunications, saying it had become outdated. “We certainly support co-investment with the State Government on this sort of thing, but particularly if there was a review of the service guarantee and the focus away from the fixed line was seriously looked at,” he said. “A fixed line system to your house, when that was all that was available, was probably an OK outcome, but technology has moved on and the population has increased. “There are many very major roads in the State that don’t have good coverage, like Brookton Highway, like Great Eastern Highway. “We need to keep reviewing and keep improving because the world is moving on and the telephone system, in some instances with the Universal Service Guarantee, has not.” Mr Hassell said he raised the issue with Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud during his visit to WA last week. “If the National Farmers’ Federation and others start getting into this discussion as well, we’d probably have some better effect on it,” he said. “Telstra needs to be held to account on it as well; they work on averages so it doesn’t matter if you’re (without service) for 10 days, as long as the average is alright.” The WARDCP would build on the WA Digital Farm Grants Program and effectively replace the Regional Telecommunications Project, which have delivered mobile and fixed wireless broadband coverage across 243,000sqkm in WA. “The WA Regional Digital Connectivity Program is the successor of the State Government’s Regional Telecommunications Project, which is almost fully expended,” Ms MacTiernan said. “While some of the Regional Telecommunications Project and Digital Farm Grants co-funded projects have been completed, there are a number still being delivered.” Part of the State’s funding commitment would go towards round two of the Federal Government’s Regional Connectivity Program. The 2022-23 State Budget is due to be handed down on May 12.