Dr Webster and shadow minister for communications and digital safety Sarah Henderson have called on the government to provide the certainty for regional Australians.
“The Regional Tech Hub provides essential, independent support for people navigating complex and often unreliable telecommunications services in regional Australia,” Ms Henderson said.
“Anyone who lives in the regions knows getting reliable phone and internet access is still far more difficult and complex than it should be.
“Regional Australians are dealing with patchy coverage, mobile black spots, power outages and the chaos of network changes like the 3G shutdown. The Regional Tech Hub cuts through the bureaucracy and provides trusted, independent advice.”
Dr Webster said the funding uncertainty came at the worst possible time, with major telecommunications changes underway including Telstra’s retirement of CAN Radio and legacy ADSL infrastructure, uncertainty over the universal outdoor mobile obligation and the continuing fallout from the botched shutdown of the 3G network.
“Rolling out big policy changes without properly supporting people to understand and use them is a recipe for failure,” she said.
“The Regional Tech Hub is the bridge between high-level announcements and real‑world outcomes. Without it, people will be left behind.”
Dr Webster said regional Australians deserved certainty when it came to essential services.
“Regional Australians are sick of being treated as second-class citizens. Cutting support for a service which helps people stay connected is cutting in exactly the wrong place. Regional Australians deserve certainty – not silence,” she said.
“The Regional Tech Hub helps around 75 regional Australians every single day to stay connected – whether that’s running a business, accessing telehealth, studying online, or simply being able to call triple zero in an emergency.”
Dr Webster said the National Farmers’ Federation had requested a one-year extension to continue the service.
“We’re saying they should be funded with another three years, and potentially four years, of the funding that they’re currently receiving,” she said.
“They do a phenomenal service, hundreds of thousands of people assisted in each year, with the services they provide to assist people who might not be incredibly tech savvy, which I suspect is particularly our older regional community members.
“They need help like ‘how do I get the NBN connected’, ‘how do I get my phone to work?’ ‘how do I get access because I theoretically have a plan that should give me connectivity, but I don’t have the connectivity’.”
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