McGowan Government announces $48.6m pre-Budget commitment to boost digital coverage across regional WA

Better mobile phone and internet coverage for the regions in WA is at the centre of a $48.6 million pre-Budget cash splash revealed by the State Government outside Geraldton this week. The WA Regional Digital Connectivity Program will expand mobile phone coverage and deliver high-grade, flexible broadband services for regional businesses and communities across WA. Announcing the news from a mobile phone tower at Mount Fairfax which was recently replaced after being damaged by cyclone Seroja last year, Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the program would target co-investment from the Federal Government and private sector for a swag of telecommunications projects worth a total $145m. “This initiative is targeting co-investment of more than $2 for every $1 invested by the State Government to ensure regional businesses and communities have access to quality mobile coverage and internet services,” she said. “Our reliance on digital connectivity has grown by 50 per cent in WA since the start of the pandemic and continued investment in regional telecommunications is required to support working from home, home schooling, telehealth, supply chains and biosecurity.” The funding will go towards new mobile base stations and fixed wireless infrastructure, upgrading the capacity and performance of existing telecommunication assets, trialing new technologies and improving connectivity for disadvantaged communities. The investment aims to assist primary producers and enterprises become more efficient and drive business growth, increase access to emergency services and entertainment with faster connections and help regional WA become more competitive and livable. The WA Regional Digital Connectivity Program will build on the State Government’s Regional Telecommunications Project and the WA Digital Farm Grants Program, which are delivering mobile and fixed wireless broadband coverage across 243,000sqkm in WA. Round two of the Digital Farm Grants Program, expected to be finished in August, includes seven towers upgrading services to 50 farming enterprises covering an area of 8500sqkm in the greater Geraldton and Mullewa area. Part of the funding would go towards round two of the Federal Government’s Regional Connectivity Program. “As we know, the product ability, whether it’s mobile phone voice services or whether it’s data services, it is very patchy across the State,” Ms MacTiernan said. “There are some areas where it is really difficult to participate in education and to have a sophisticated business product. “We’re very optimistic that if we make these strategic investments we’ve got this money to co-invest so we can take advantage of opportunities that may present itself within the Commonwealth, but also opportunities to develop our own projects.” Local Mid West leaders have been advocating for more investment in digital connectivity, with large parts of the region proving to be blackspots for poor phone and internet reception, which was hurting the bottom line of businesses. The McGowan Government is set to hand down its 2022-23 State Budget on May 12.