Federal government pledges $14m to keep more communities connected to the internet during natural disasters

The additional $14m will add community Wi-Fi capability to a further 500 emergency sites across Australia, and extend services at existing sites for an additional four years.

The federal government has pledged $14 million to extend critical community Wi-Fi services at evacuation centres across Australia, helping to keep natural disaster-prone communities connected.

The Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters (STAND) program has already installed NBN Co. Sky Muster satellite connections to 1068 locations Australia-wide, including in dozens of shelters across the Northern Territory, such as in Borroloola, Kalkarindji, and Peppimenarti.

Screenshot of the Sky Muster Satellite Deployments Viewer in the Northern Territory. The federal government has committed $14 million to extend critical community Wi-Fi services at evacuation centres across Australia.

The additional $14m will add community Wi-Fi capability to a further 500 emergency sites, and extend services at existing sites for an additional four years, beyond 2025.

The government said it would work closely with states and Territories to prioritise disaster-prone areas that do not have emergency connectivity solutions to ensure the investment delivered where it was most needed.

If re-elected, the Albanese government also pledged to introduce legislation for a Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation in 2025.

This reform would provide near continent-wide outdoor mobile coverage, essential during emergencies and natural disasters which disrupt power and land-based networks.

“Since coming to office, the Albanese government has made significant investments to improve mobile coverage and the resilience of communications networks against natural disasters,” Solomon MP Luke Gosling said.

“We have delivered more than 900 resilience projects just this term, including across the Northern Territory, with many more to come.

“The Albanese Labor government will work closely with the Northern Territory government to prioritise disaster-prone areas that do not have emergency connectivity solutions to ensure this investment delivers where it is most needed.”

Originally published as Federal government pledges $14m to keep more communities connected to the internet during natural disasters