Goondiwindi Region residents encouraged to have their say on regional telecommunications

Goondiwindi Region residents are being encouraged to have their say about the state of regional telecommunications as the local council prepares a formal submission to the federal government.

Goondiwindi Regional Council is preparing its submission as part of the Australian Government’s 2021 Regional Telecommunications Review to advocate for improved connectivity in the region’s more rural areas.

Councillors Susie Kelly and Lachlan Brennan will host a number of drop-in sessions across the Goondiwindi Region next week and are encouraging interested residents to come along to have their say.

“We’re holding these consultation sessions so we can best understand the difficulties and frustrations some of our rural ratepayers have,” said Cr Brennan, who holds Council’s portfolio for Technology. “We will then pass that feedback on to the federal government to advocate for better connectivity for the region.

“We hope to have as many community members attend the drop-in sessions as possible so we can hear firsthand experiences, and use these to strengthen our region’s submission and get the best possible outcome,” he said. “So if you have issues with substandard, or in some cases, no connectivity, please come along and contribute your feedback.”

Residents are also encouraged to make their own submissions as part of the review.

Submissions can be made online at: https://www.communications.gov.au/have-your-say/2021-regional-telecommunications-review

Cr Kelly, who holds Council’s portfolio for Rural Services, said effective telecommunications play a key role in supporting the productivity and development of local businesses in particular.

“We know how important high-speed, reliable and resilient broadband and mobile networks are to regional businesses,” she said. “Especially in a region like ours with so much innovation in ag-tech, connectivity is key. We want to ensure local businesses aren’t being held back from accessing emerging technology and can continue to lead the way in their development.

“Council is eager to advocate on behalf of its residents, and the feedback gathered in this review will help the federal government to understand the issues of concern in regional Australia and to develop solutions to address these issues.”

Residents are invited to the following sessions to have their say.

Both Cr Brennan and Cr Kelly also invite any interested residents who cannot attend a session to contact them directly to contribute their feedback for Council’s submission: please e-mail LBrennan@grc.qld.gov.au or SKelly@grc.qld.gov.au.