‘Political reasons’ behind NE Tas missing out on mobile blackspot program

North East Tasmania has been denied any funding under round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot program despite many areas in Bass being identified as needing better coverage and program guidelines specifying it should have at least one new site funded per round.

“In Round 2 announced last week, Tasmania only received funding for six black spots, whereas the guidelines clearly say that, it should have received ten.

“In addition, the guidelines for Round 2 say that every eligible electorate should have received funding for at least one base station – instead Bass completely missed out,” Mr Hart says.

“There are around 75 nominated black spot areas in Bass – so there were plenty of options if the Minister had wanted to apply the principles of equitable distribution.

Areas such as Legana, Lilydale, Flinders Island, Low Head, Travellers Rest, Patersonia, Bridport, Pipers River, Tomahawk, Lebrina, Blackstone Heights, Derby and Cape Barren Island were nominated as lacking basic coverage or competitive coverage.

“It has been clear for some time that this program is being mismanaged and delivering poor outcomes, based on party politics, not community need.

“First we had the damming ANAO Report into Round 1 of the Mobile Black Spot Program that highlighted serious flaws – and now we have the Productivity Commission this week echoing those same findings.

“The Turnbull Government has been slammed for its political approach to funding for mobile black spots,” Mr Hart said.

The Productivity Commission report says that:
‘… the Commission is concerned that there is a risk that Australian Government funding is directed at expanding mobile coverage in locations for political reasons rather than to locations where overall community wellbeing might be better served.”
[Productivity Commission Draft Report into the Telecommunications Universal Service Obligation, page 266]

“This is a program is supposed to improve public safety and expand competitive mobile phone coverage across Australia,” Mr Hart said.

“In Round 1, of the funding promised to deliver 499 new and upgraded mobile base stations across Australia, more than 80 per cent of the locations for new mobile phone towers announced were in Liberal or National electorates with less than seven per cent in electorates held by Labor Members, and 1 in 4 of the base stations did not extend coverage.

“In Round 2, announced just last week, again we see that 80 per cent of locations are in Liberal or National Party electorates, with around 11 per cent in electorates held by Labor members,” Mr Hart said.

“The Minister for Regional Communications is giving Tasmanians a dud deal when it comes to allocating funding under the mobile black spots program.

“I am calling on Minister Nash to urgently re-think her approach to fixing mobile black spots and to heed the advice of the Audit Office and now the Productivity Commission,” Mr Hart concluded.

• Download Excel spreadsheet of nominated black spots in Bass: (couldn’t upload)

• Productivity Commission Draft Report – Telecommunications Universal Service Obligation

• Australian National Audit Office – Award of Funding under the Mobile Black Spot Programme

• [Department of Communications and the Arts, Mobile Black Spot Program, Round 2 Guidelines, page 20]

Principles of equitable distribution:
9.5 Application of equitable distribution principles
9.5.1 To allow for an equitable distribution of Funded Base Stations under the Programme across Australia, the Department will have regard to the principles set out in sections 9.5.2 to 9.5.10 (inclusive).

Principle 1: Equal distribution across States and the Northern Territory
9.5.2 Subject to section 9.5.3, the Department will ensure that at least ten Proposed Base Stations are recommended for each of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia; and at least five base stations are recommended for the Northern Territory (assuming sufficient eligible applications are received for Proposed Base Stations located in these States or the Northern Territory, as applicable).
…
Principle 2: Equal distribution within States and the Northern Territory
9.5.4 The Department will ensure, subject to receipt of a valid application for a Proposed Base Station in the electorate, that funding is recommended for at least one Proposed Base Station in each eligible Federal electorate.
ROSS HART MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR BASS