Communications

Of 27 mobile phone towers planned for the South East, Telstra only ever earmarked two for the Naracoorte Lucindale Council area, with parts of districts like Callendale, Spence and others remaining without services. As Telstra, since 2011, is a private company with service obligations to rural and regional people, the council opted following a 6-4 vote - not to put $140,185 of ratepayer funds into the telco giant’s project.

Naracoorte Lucindale mayor Patrick Ross has set the record straight by explaining why the council chose not to allocate ratepayer funds to Telstra’s Limestone Coast Connectivity Project which had only two mobile base stations earmarked for the district ... it was not prepared to use limited public funds to subsidise infrastructure that Telstra—a major telecommunications provider—had a responsibility to deliver.

The Albanese government considers the cost of living, access to secure and well-paid jobs, and infrastructure as the most pressing issues for voters in regional towns like Naracoorte. As Australia goes to polls on May 3, a lot is at stake for all political parties. Acknowledging that “people are doing it tough,” the current federal government of four years blames the current challenges to a previous decade of “Liberal neglect.”