Knockin' on the PM's door
LOCAL Government officials from the Barcoo and Diamantina Shire Councils will travel to Canberra this month to appeal to the federal Government for funding to improve the region’s skeleton telecommunications infrastructure.
Barcoo Shire Mayor Bruce Scott will join Diamantina Shire Mayor Rob Dare and Barcoo chief executive officer Michael Parker for the trip to the nation’s capital to meet with numerous ministers and senior departmental staff.
"We will target the Prime Minister if we have to," Councillor Scott said.
In light of Telstra’s newly launched Next G network, Cr Scott believes the region will unduely suffer if the Government doesn’t make available to isolated communities some of the funds outlined in the $1.1 billion Connect Australia initiative.
Currently the Barcoo and Diamantina Shires are without mobile phone coverage and are severely hampered in their internet capabilities.
"For a long, long time we have been campaigning for better telecommunication infrastructure," Cr Scott said.
"Only in the last 15 years have some properties gained their own telephone line; before that it was the party line.
"When mobile phones came into Longreach and Blackall, it was a dream for us out here - as it still is today.
"Tourists roll-up to Windorah and reach into their pocket for their mobile phones and then bang it on the bonnet, thinking that it is the phone with the problem. People can’t believe that places still exist without mobile phone coverage."
Despite the fact that Telstra pledged that Next G – the first and only national high speed mobile broadband network in Australia – would reach 98 per cent of Australians, Cr Scott believes it is the communities which are missing out that would benefit the most.
"The far western corner of Queensland contributes to the Australian economy through its oil and gas reserves, gas pipe line maintenance facilities, flourishing tourism industry and through the once traditional business of beef production.
"Beef production has entered a new era and dimension with the introduction of the National Livestock Identification System.
"Producers need to have high speed internet access to the Meat and Livestock Australia database to record animal movements.
"More and more opportunities exist for teleworking from virtual offices as well as education and medical care being given via teleconferences. In parts of the world we are witnessing complex surgery undertaken by robotics.
"This is happening in the world – and we can’t even use a mobile phone."
However Cr Scott was quick to point out that the blame for the region’s current lack of technology could not be placed with the once-publicly owned Telstra.
"We are a vast and low-populated area and I can understand how Telstra’s hands are tied. They are a corporation - wholly and solely a business - and you can’t impose an act onto a corporation that is knowingly unprofitable.
"It is the government who is responsible for social infrastructure."
Cr Scott sees a solution in increasing the region’s optic fibre network to include the western corner of the State.
In order to gain the funds to increase the network, Cr Scott hopes to tap into either the $878 million Broadband Connect, $113 million Clever Networks, $30 million Mobile Connect or the $90 million Backing Indigenous Ability funds.
"These funds are our lifeline to this technology.
"Ideally we would like to source some funding to extend optic fibres from Quilpie to Birdsville, through Windorah, then up to Bedourie and Boulia, also extending down from Longreach to take in Stonehenge and Jundah."
Barcoo Shire Mayor Bruce Scott will join Diamantina Shire Mayor Rob Dare and Barcoo chief executive officer Michael Parker for the trip to the nation’s capital to meet with numerous ministers and senior departmental staff.
"We will target the Prime Minister if we have to," Councillor Scott said.
In light of Telstra’s newly launched Next G network, Cr Scott believes the region will unduely suffer if the Government doesn’t make available to isolated communities some of the funds outlined in the $1.1 billion Connect Australia initiative.
Currently the Barcoo and Diamantina Shires are without mobile phone coverage and are severely hampered in their internet capabilities.
"For a long, long time we have been campaigning for better telecommunication infrastructure," Cr Scott said.
"Only in the last 15 years have some properties gained their own telephone line; before that it was the party line.
"When mobile phones came into Longreach and Blackall, it was a dream for us out here - as it still is today.
"Tourists roll-up to Windorah and reach into their pocket for their mobile phones and then bang it on the bonnet, thinking that it is the phone with the problem. People can’t believe that places still exist without mobile phone coverage."
Despite the fact that Telstra pledged that Next G – the first and only national high speed mobile broadband network in Australia – would reach 98 per cent of Australians, Cr Scott believes it is the communities which are missing out that would benefit the most.
"The far western corner of Queensland contributes to the Australian economy through its oil and gas reserves, gas pipe line maintenance facilities, flourishing tourism industry and through the once traditional business of beef production.
"Beef production has entered a new era and dimension with the introduction of the National Livestock Identification System.
"Producers need to have high speed internet access to the Meat and Livestock Australia database to record animal movements.
"More and more opportunities exist for teleworking from virtual offices as well as education and medical care being given via teleconferences. In parts of the world we are witnessing complex surgery undertaken by robotics.
"This is happening in the world – and we can’t even use a mobile phone."
However Cr Scott was quick to point out that the blame for the region’s current lack of technology could not be placed with the once-publicly owned Telstra.
"We are a vast and low-populated area and I can understand how Telstra’s hands are tied. They are a corporation - wholly and solely a business - and you can’t impose an act onto a corporation that is knowingly unprofitable.
"It is the government who is responsible for social infrastructure."
Cr Scott sees a solution in increasing the region’s optic fibre network to include the western corner of the State.
In order to gain the funds to increase the network, Cr Scott hopes to tap into either the $878 million Broadband Connect, $113 million Clever Networks, $30 million Mobile Connect or the $90 million Backing Indigenous Ability funds.
"These funds are our lifeline to this technology.
"Ideally we would like to source some funding to extend optic fibres from Quilpie to Birdsville, through Windorah, then up to Bedourie and Boulia, also extending down from Longreach to take in Stonehenge and Jundah."
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