QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications) (14:49): I thank the member for Indi for her question, and I acknowledge her ongoing interest in and passion for improving regional telecommunications. The government accepted, absolutely, and agreed in principle with recommendation 14 of the Bean review, which recommended that work currently being undertaken on roaming during natural disasters should be followed by work on temporary roaming during outages caused by other events, though it acknowledged the industry had identified some technical feasibility issues.

I'm advised that the industry is developing a temporary disaster roaming capability. It's drafting a memorandum of understanding to support this development. And let me be clear: it is my expectation that industry will make that work.

Subject to the outcomes of that work, my department will examine the extent to which roaming could be available during other outage events, as recommended in the Bean review. I would also highlight the government's commitment to the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, which will enable, for the first time, baseline outdoor mobile connectivity across Australia, and this will provide another level of redundancy during outages of all kinds.

With respect to the second half of your question, I will say that was absolutely the subject of much of the discussion by the Minister for Emergency Management and me when we met with the three CEOs of the telcos in my office earlier today. We also asked NEMA to attend, and NEMA and the Minister for Emergency Management spoke to the particular perils of the natural disaster season and the particular matters that were outstanding.

We all committed to get back together again and to do a simulation drill in a couple of weeks to stress-test where this system is not currently working for people, particularly in places like regional Australia. You would know, of course, that the Minister for Emergency Management is always thinking, front of mind, about regional Australians, and I reassure you that we are sincere in that work and that work will continue.