Government must work harder to ensure people can use mobile phones no matter where they are in Australia

Regional Australia needs fast internet to thrive, so every community needs to know when they are getting the NBN

To view my commitments to this area, please click here

Click here to view a short video about the NBN and what it will deliver for Indi

Actions

• Welcomed the announcement of eight further mobile phone base stations under Round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Program.
  
  
• Held community celebrations for the launch of mobile phone base stations for Tatong and Devil River, under Round 1 of the Mobile Black Spot Program.
  
  
• Represented constituent’s concerns around ABC funding and the importance of rural and regional media. Click here to read the Minister’s response

• Called on the Government to consider rural and regional equity in telecommunications reform

• Invited CEO of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), Ms Teresa Corbin, and ACCAN Director of Policy, Ms Una Lawrence, to Indi to meet with the Indi Telecommunications Action Group (ITAG) and facilitate 3 community forums (Oxley, Benalla and Beechworth) telecommunications and community advocacy.

• Assisted constituents to make representations and report CyberCrimes and Scams.

• Represented concerns to the Minister for Communications, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, regarding unwanted/nuisance calls.

• Hosted a Friday Night Conversation in Wodonga with Mr Stephen Tinker, Telstra Area General Manager, to facilitate discussion around mobile coverage, the Mobile Black-Spot Programme, 4G X upgrades and internet in Indi.

• Coordinated the listing of remaining mobile phone black-spots with local Government and community input via the Indi Telecommunications Action Group (ITAG).

• Submitted Indi’s funding priorities for mobile phone coverage under Round Two of the Mobile Black-Spot Programme

• Represented concerns to NBN Co & Telstra about streamlining the transition to NBN. On 1 February 2016 the Minister for Communications, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, announced the Migration Assurance Policy (MAP) to support the transitioning of existing broadband and phone customers to the fixed-line national broadband network (NBN) by limiting the disruption during the switch-over

• Raised important digital access issues with Telstra on behalf the people of Indi to be considered in Australia’s Digital Inclusion Index. Read Telstra's response here.

• Commended Telstra on developing social research partnerships to establish an Australian Digital Inclusion Index to measure equitable access to telecommunications 

• Called on NBN to lift restrictions and build capacity within the NBN Long Term Satellite solution. On 14 December 2015, NBN Co announced it would build capacity within the Long Term Satellite, which is positive news for regional Australia and Indi

• Questioned the Treasurer’s office about the effectiveness of the ACCC and it’s ScamWATCH program. Click here to download the Assistant Treasurer’s response

• Delivered speech in Parliament calling on the Government to act immediately to implement the Regional Telecommunications Review report recommendations. 

• Highlighted the rural and regional telecommunications inequities in the Regional Telecommunications Review 2015 report. A copy of the report can be downloaded here.

• In Question Time, Cathy stood up for concerns of rural and regional newspapers on the dearth of Government advertising in country newspapers. 

• Working proactively with the Government to facilitate the delivery of Round 1 of the Mobile Black-Spot Programme and prepare for Round 2 in 2016. 

• Continual lobbying delivers NBN for Indi - 25,000 new homes added to NBN three-year construction plan

• Called on the Minister for Communications, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, to visit Indi and take action to address the inequity around rural  access to telecommunications

• Lobbied Minister for Communications to improve telecommunications services in Indi by providing better mobile phone coverage and faster NBN rollout

• Wrote to the Minister for Communications, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, to represent concerns about the future of the ABC

• PETITION - Allans Flat residents demand better internet services from Government and Telstra

• Congratulated Mount Dorothy residents on pushing for mobile phone tower to be stationed in the area to improve coverage, and Telstra for acting on the community request

• Questioned the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott about the current impasse on media reform and how constituents rely on TV news for information

• Mobile Black Spot Programme - successful locations in Indi

• Mobile Black Spot Map for Indi

• Called on Minister for Communications, Malcolm Turnbull, to give details on the current situation with the rollout plan in Indi

• Formed a working group of local government representatives - the Indi Telecommunications Action Group - to lobby state and federal governments for investment in telecommunications

• Encouraged Indi residents to report mobile phone black spots to the Department of Communications' database

• Contributed funding to a consultancy for the Indi Telecommunications Action Group to examine the Government's Mobile Black Spot Programme and assist councils to develop co-contribution packages for new mobile towers 

• Met regularly with the office of the Minister for Communications and lobbied for release of forward roll-out plans for the National Broadband Network (NBN)

• Helped Dartmouth residents get action from Telstra to fix aged copper telephone/internet lines that have caused landline outages and slow internet service

• Asked the Government to ensure that old and unreliable landline phone and internet infrastructure, which many communities like Dartmouth rely on as their sole means of communication, will be properly maintained and upgraded in the years before the full NBN roll-out 

• Met regularly with the office of the Parliamentary Secretary for Communications, and through the Indi Telecommunications Action Group lobbied hard to attract funding for new mobile towers for Indi 

• Hosted a meeting in Wangaratta with the Department of Communications, Telstra, Vodafone, Optus and the Indi Telecommunications Action Group to foster cooperation and to ensure local governments are able to maximise their chances of securing limited Mobile Black Spot Programme funding

• Lobbied the Government to make use of the multi-billion dollar investment in NBN infrastructure in regional areas to improve mobile phone coverage

• Named three priority mobile phone black spots in Indi to the Government and worked with Indi residents to nominate more than 270 other locations

• Helped constituents resolve their issues with digital TV rollout