Last week, Wannon MP, Dan Tehan said he was “appalled that local residents were being put at risk” having missed out on funding under the latest Improving Mobile Coverage Round.

Some of the areas and towns that have never had decent coverage include Woorndoo, Hawkesdale, Grassmere, Bessiebelle, Cudgee, Framlingham, Nullawarre and Willatook.

Mr Tehan has held the seat since 2010, serving as cabinet minister for six of the nine years his side governed until May last year.

He said it was critical for Wannon to receive ongoing investment to improve mobile coverage.

“But instead, Labor has robbed the regions in a Black Spot grants grab,” Mr Tehan said.

“Communities in regional Australia are being put at risk by a dodgy funding deal by the Albanese Government to dish out mobile black spot grants to favoured Labor electorates.

“When you have farmers and local businesses struggling to get produce to market or when you have regional areas at risk of being hit by natural disaster, you need the best mobile coverage you can get.

“Labor has ignored regional electorates under threat of fires and floods (that) have a strong case for mobile funding, and instead just directed money to Labor seats.”

Shadow Communications minister, David Coleman, said 74 per cent of $40 million in grants were going to Labor held electorates despite the party holding only 33 per cent of regional seats.

“The Communications minister, Michelle Rowland, has chosen Labor seats for special benefit, with 40 out of 54 locations directed to her colleague’s seats,” he said.

Mobile phone coverage is one of the issues that potentially accentuates the country / city divide - with those living in metropolitan areas getting better coverage sooner - notwithstanding the contribution the regions make to the national economy - especially through agriculture.

In Question Time last week, Communications minister, Michelle Rowland, refuted any credibility “those opposite” may have had in the communications portfolio.

She said the rollout of the NBN proved their track record was a “masterclass in economic and technological incompetence”.

Minister Rowland pointed out that many locations selected in the latest round were at-risk areas in obvious bushfire and disaster-prone areas, such as the Blue Mountains and the South Coast of New South Wales.

One area selected to get a new tower since coming to government was a relatively new outer suburb of Sydney in minister Rowland’s electorate, Greenway (est. 2007), she said was “finally” under construction.

She said The Ponds, with a population of around 12,000, had been awaiting funding for a mobile tower “for years”. 

“When you have people living in new estates, and they rightfully expect that they will have mobile services, along with water, electricity and sewerage, then you realise that this is essential infrastructure that so many people rely on,” minister Rowland said.

She paid tribute to the “sustained effort by local residents” to get the tower built.

“People rely on it for their small businesses, their children rely on it for studying at home and people rely on it in safety situations as well.”

Notwithstanding the threats of flooding and bushfire, nor the contribution south-west Victoria makes to the nation’s economy as the country’s largest agricultural producer, it didn’t rate.

In Grasmere, for example, in prime dairy country, agriculture employs almost 25 per cent of its residents, while none of the top five industry employers in The Ponds are in production.

Grasmere’s topography is very hilly though and remains without good mobile phone coverage.

As one local dairy farmer told the Hamilton Spectator, running their business was frustrating with the limitations of technology.

“It’s tough,” they said.

“The ‘village’ (Grasmere) has no service … you have to climb up the tank stand to get service.

“We have service at the house, because we are on top of a hill.

“We have limited service at the dairy, because it is slightly down the hill.

“We have no service on ‘the flats’ because it is at the same level as the village.”

This scenario is typical of many areas across south-west Victoria, with many locals frustrated that in 2023, dropouts were still experienced, and that reliable mobile phone service remained elusive.

Minister Rowland reminded “those opposite” that in the lead up to the 2016 Federal Election under their priority list for the Mobile Black Spot Program, out of 125 locations selected, 124 or 99.2 per cent were in Coalition seats. None were in Wannon.

Minister Rowland said the 54 Black Spot locations selected for the latest round were election commitments and were areas identified, when they were in Opposition, including communities in high-risk bushfire areas.

“The entirely separate Improving Mobile Coverage Round fulfils commitments the government took to the 2022 Federal Election to address mobile coverage issues in identified areas across the country,” she said.

Mr Tehan said residents in bushfire prone areas such as Aireys Inlet, Anglesea, Lorne and Lakaput would be disappointed their towns were excluded when they had previously been designated as areas of concern due to the high bushfire risk.

Minister Rowland said last week that more rounds would be open again soon.

“These application-based programs will open in the coming weeks,” she said.

“I strongly encourage local residents and councils in regional areas to work with telcos to secure local funding.”