Have a say on regional communications

BENDIGO region people are being encouraged to have their say on telecommunications issues as public submissions open on the Federal Government’s Regional Telecommunications Review.Held once every three years by the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee, the review is aimed at advising the government on how telecommunications services are provided around the country.

The 2024 review is being led by former Western Australian Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan, and the committee has already been to WA and Tasmania for face-to-face consultations.

More locations for these consultations will be announced soon.

Specifically, the review is examining the experiences of people in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia with telecommunications delivery.

This time, there are three ways to be involved: attending a face-to-face session, providing formal submissions, or completing a survey. The survey will be published this month.

“Access to telecommunications services is critical for regional residents and businesses across so many aspects of everyday life, and we want to understand the lived experience of these services so that future policy actions are well-targeted and backed up by evidence,” Ms MacTiernan said.

“With technology changing rapidly, we also want your ideas about how things can be improved and what would make the most difference for you and your community.

“We really encourage Australians in the bush to have their say via a submission or completing the survey in coming months while we continue our face-to-face consultations across the country.”

To contribute, go to infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/2024-regional-telecommunications-review.