2 March 2005
Boost for Communications in Leichhardt
The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, was in Wonga Beach today to commission the first mobile phone base station under the Australian Government's $15.6 million Extended Mobile Phone Coverage Program.
The program is one of the responses following the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (Estens Inquiry) and will ensure more than 30,000 people in 62 towns around regional and remote Australia will receive new CDMA mobile phone coverage.
When the rollout is complete an additional 30,000 square kilometres of the Australian landmass will receive CDMA coverage, covering 98 per cent of the population.
"This facility in Wonga Beach brings the number of base stations commissioned in the electorate of Leichhardt to 26 since 1997.
"This includes mobile coverage in remote areas such as Weipa, Bamaga, Thursday Island, Herberton and Lockhart River.
"Today's announcement is just the start of a flurry of activity across Australia and especially in Far North Queensland which will lead to dramatic improvements in mobile coverage.
"Over the next 12-18 months, a further seven mobile base stations will be put into operation in the electorate of Leichhardt alone.
"This includes some far flung places and a number of island communities who will experience new ways to communicate with each other and with the mainland."
The following Far North Queensland communities will soon receive CDMA coverage under the Extended Mobile Phone Coverage Program:
- Badu Island, Darnley Island, Mt Surprise, Murray Island, Saibai Island, Yam Island and Yorke Island.
"I am also pleased to announce that Mossman and Tolga will have their exchanges upgraded to receive ADSL broadband immediately, with the help of the Government's Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme (HiBIS)," Senator Coonan said.
"Speewah will have its exchange upgraded tomorrow (4 March), Cardwell will get ADSL on March 11 and Yungaburrah will receive ADSL broadband in the coming weeks.
"The Government is committed to ensuring all Australians, regardless of where they live, have access to high quality, affordable telecommunications services," Senator Coonan said.
"We have already invested more than $1 billion into ensuring services, such as broadband technology and mobile phone coverage, are upgraded and improved- particularly for people living in rural, regional and remote Australia.
"Faster internet services are being made available in Leichhardt thanks to this investment, Telstra and the Government's HiBIS scheme."
The $107.8 million HiBIS offers financial incentives for service providers to supply high-speed broadband services in regional areas at prices comparable to those in metropolitan areas.
There are now more than 25 HiBIS providers, many of them in rural and regional areas, and tens of thousands of regional Australians are now enjoying more affordable and accessible broadband.
"Access to broadband services is critical to the ongoing productivity and survival of our businesses," Senator Coonan said.
"I am pleased that the many residents living in Leichhardt will now be able to access faster and more reliable internet services.
"These achievements are not possible without a strong local community and a strong local member who really stands up for his constituents - Warren Entsch.
"I congratulate Warren for lobbying so hard for broadband and improved mobile phone coverage in his electorate."
More information on the Government's HiBIS program is available at www.telinfo.gov.au.
Media Contact: Jane McMillan 0438 690 305