Senate Committee Hears Concerns Over Ongoing Funding for Regional Connectivity

Australia’s funding for regional mobile connectivity came under scrutiny during Senate Estimates with Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson accusing the government of failing to commit ongoing funding.

Front and centre of the debate was a dispute over the government’s Regional Tech Hub, a support service providing individuals and businesses with help and advice on mobile reception trouble-shooting and internet blackspots in the regions.

The discussion unfolded during the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee hearing on May 27.

The Regional Tech Hub was developed in 2019 due to largescale connectivity issues across rural and regional Australia.

Henderson argued the government’s own spending breakdown showed ongoing funding had been stopped for the program past its original end date of June 30.

But Samuel Grunhard, first assistant secretary from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Communication, said there was no deliberate decision to axe funding.

“It was always funded till 30th June, 2026, and the government made no different decision in this budget,” he said.

But Henderson was not convinced.

“Well, that’s a very eloquent way of saying that the funding has been axed,” Henderson said.

“I’d say axed, you can say the funding is no longer continuing.”

Henderson claimed government documents gave the impression that funding was continuing for the Tech Hub.

“This [arrangement] is $2 million a year, over three years, which is providing a vital service to regional communities—28,000 people this helped in the last year alone,” the senator said.

“Why did the government not have the heart to at least put $6 million in over three years for that program?”

Labor Senator Nita Green argued the government had been proactive.

“What we are doing is delivering on the programs that we have committed to—we’ve had an enormous amount of work being undertaken since we came into office over the Mobile Blackspot Program, the Peri-Urban Mobile Program, the regional connectivity program and a number of other programs so we’re getting that money out of the door,” she said.

“The other thing that we are doing is committing to future work, that is the focus of the government when it comes to regional connectivity.

“We said we’re going to be a government of delivery and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”