Portfolio — 9 June 2026

Minister King announced the completion of a new Telstra mobile base station at Delmont in Tasmania's Northern Midlands, reducing mobile black spots and extending 4G coverage to the community [TA-260609-infras-ba90e1a9b189:m00AMR]. The project was co-funded by the Albanese Government and Telstra under the Mobile Black Spot Program, which has now delivered funding for more than 1,400 base stations with a combined public-private investment exceeding $1 billion [TA-260609-infras-ba90e1a9b189:m00AMR].

Communications Minister Anika Wells joined the announcement, stating that "the Albanese Government understands how vital reliable mobile coverage and access to emergency services is to communities in places like the Northern Midlands" — a signal that the release was coordinated across the Infrastructure and Communications portfolios. Federal Member for Lyons Rebecca White, Telstra's Tasmanian Regional General Manager Michael Patterson, and Northern Midlands Business Association chief executive Gordon Williams all provided endorsements, with Williams describing the Delmont tower as "another major step toward delivering on our vision of making the Northern Midlands the most connected regional municipality in Tasmania." Patterson's framing — that co-investment models "are really important in helping deliver great connectivity outcomes" — underscores the public-private partnership logic the government is applying to regional telecommunications gaps.

The day's announcement extends a pattern visible across the portfolio: the prior day saw Minister King release 52 Bruce Highway tender packages, and today's Tasmanian digital infrastructure delivery reinforces the same regional-focus messaging across two distinct infrastructure domains within a 24-hour window.