Lyne MP invites Regional Telecommunications Review to visit electorate Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - February 13, 2024 The lonely Tea Gardens mobile tower, also home to a nest of native ospreys, hardly covers Tea Gardens Hawks Nest, let alone Pindimar/Bundabah. FEDERAL Member for Lyn Dr David Gillespie has invited the newly recommenced Regional Telecommunications Review Committee to see firsthand just how bad reception is in the electorate. “Our region has a growing population, and the influx of holidaymakers places added pressure on telecommunications services,” Dr Gillespie said. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “Clearly, the telecommunications infrastructure in our region is not keeping pace, we are so heavily reliant on mobile and data services due to the rural nature of our towns.” “The issue is felt right across the electorate, which spans 16,000 square kilometres, and it feels like we are going backwards. “It is simply not good enough. “I am taking this message to the telcos and I will be taking it to the Review.” Leading the five person Review Committee as Chairperson is the Hon. Alannah McTiernan, a former Labor MP from Western Australia. Also on the Committee is Ms Kristy Sparrow, a grazier from Queensland and co-founder of Better Internet for Regional, Rural and Remote Australia (BIRRR). Joining them is The Hon. Fiona Nash, a former Nationals Senator from NSW, now the first Federal Regional Education Commissioner, and Dr Jessa Rogers, a senior First Nations researcher and educator at Queensland University of Technology. Completing the Review Committee is Mr Ian Kelly, a technology consultant from Victoria, who has lived and worked internationally for most of his career. The Review’s official government website (www.rtirc.gov.au), is brand new and, so far, limited on useful content beyond its official Terms of Reference, but says “public consultation will begin soon”. Dr Gillespie encourages businesses and residents to provide feedback about their views and experiences using telecommunications services, just as soon as the proper avenue by which to do so becomes clear. Public consultation is estimated to begin in April, and the Committee will present its findings to the government by the end of 2024. By Thomas O’KEEFE Pindimar/Bundabah and North Arm Cove rely on errant signals from Gan Gan’s towers, situated in the Paterson electorate.
