Labor’s Melbourne electorates get 5G uplift, while country lags

Millions of dollars are being spent on 5G for Melbourne electorates instead of upgrading the regions, where communities are struggling to get 3G.

Toongabbie landholder and CFA captain Scott Mitchell has to go to all sorts of extremes to get mobile reception. Picture: Zoe Phillips

A $300 million Victorian government fund to upgrade regional mobile coverage is being used to “gold plate” existing 5G networks in Melbourne.

Digital Economy Minister Jaala Pulford and Regional Development Victoria have issuedmedia statements that commit the “$300 million through the Digital Future Now initiative, to help more regional Victorians get connected”.

Yet the bulk of the Connecting Victoria Mobile Program funding - $230 million – is being rolled out under a tender that lists 97 “locations of strategic interest to the Victorian Government”, 76 of which are in Melbourne.

Of the 21 locations in regional Victoria, 11 are in Labor-held electorates covering Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong.

Even in Melbourne the government has prioritised lifting existing 5G mobile tower upgrades in suburbs within mainly Labor-held electorates or those where it is battling the Greens - Preston, Albert Park, North Melbourne, Carlton, Fitzroy and even Southbank.

The Andrews Government’s $300m Connecting Victoia mobile tower upgrades are focused in Melbourne, despite most areas already having good coverage.

Meanwhile regional communities are struggling to get 3G or 4G coverage.

Toongabbie CFA captain Scott Mitchell said his community, from Cowwarr in the north to Glengarry, were in a grey spot, with intermittent coverage that created major headaches for everyone when power and NBN goes down.

“In an emergency it’s key (mobile coverage),” Mr Mitchell said. “I can’t even get mobile coverage in the house, and just two bars of 3G outside and one of 4G.

“If this program is meant to be regional, then it needs to go to the regions, not to gold-plate services that are already getting 5G.”

Scott Mitchell trying to get reception. Picture: Zoe Phillips

South Gippsland Nationals MP and deputy chair of Parliament’s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee Danny O’Brien said “Labor promised this program would fund telecommunications in regional Victoria, but then turned its back on us once again to focus on the city”.

Mr O’Brien said it was a waste of money to spend limited taxpayer funds on city mobile coverage, given high populations and strong competition would drive Telstra and other telcos to boost 5G coverage, without government subsidies.

The Weekly Times asked Ms Pulford why the bulk of locations of strategic importance were in Labor electorates and a list of sites that had already gained funding.

However Ms Pulford would only say “we’ll soon announce hundreds more projects across the state as we fast-track better mobile coverage in around 1000 places.

“Victorians right across the state have made it clear there are major connectivity issues holding back businesses and impacting people’s lives.”