CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mrs ELLIOT (Richmond) (16:26): The Albanese Labor government is delivering another important investment in my electorate of Richmond, on the far-north coast of New South Wales—in this case, ensuring our communities are kept safe, connected and informed during natural disasters. Of course, locals in my area know how important it is to stay connected during natural disasters and emergencies.

It's essential for our emergency services to have reliable ways to coordinate their responses and that communities have access to trusted information and updates. One of the biggest issues we faced during the terrible 2022 floods was a lack of communication both during the floods themselves—no phones, no internet—and in the immediate aftermath, when we had, at evacuation centres, no connection at all.

There was no mobile connection and no communication. All of this severely hampered our community's rescue, recovery and rebuilding efforts. We have, of course, continued to build back better, and that's why I was really pleased to announce recently that our government is again strengthening disaster communications right across our area.

We're rolling out an additional 17 NBN Sky Muster satellite services at evacuation and relief centres under the Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters program—or STAND, as it's known. The NBN Sky Muster satellite services will provide vital satellite backed wi-fi connectivity when traditional, ground based communications networks are disrupted or unavailable.

They'll provide connectivity to emergency services and community members during these terrible natural disasters. These new services will be installed at key community facilities across the area, and they build on the 11 STAND services that we've already had installed at evacuation centres and emergency coordination points right across the Northern Rivers. This is all part of the government's $9 million investment to extend existing services and roll out additional sites in priority areas at risk of natural disasters.

These sites have all been identified in collaboration with state and local governments. Importantly, this investment recognises that reliable comms is an essential service. During emergencies, being able to access information, seek assistance and communicate with emergency services makes a significant difference to people's safety.

This initiative is one of the many ways that our government is building stronger, more resilient telecommunications networks right across the country. We're also strengthening telecommunications infrastructure with the Mobile Network Hardening Program and through our Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation as well. This is so important for regional communities like mine, so we're investing in a range of practical measures that will keep us connected and informed when it absolutely matters most.

I'm incredibly proud to be part of a government that is delivering the communications and infrastructure that our region needs and that others right throughout the country need, boosting resilience, improving coverage and keeping communities safe, connected and informed during times of crisis.