Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY — Tuesday, 18 September 2012] p5997b-5997b Mr Vincent Catania; Mr Brendon Grylls

REGIONAL MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS TOWERS 492. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Regional Development: I was pleased to see that the new mobile communications tower was constructed in the Junction in time for the Gascoyne Junction races this year. Can the minister update the house on the government’s construction and upgrading of towers in regional areas? Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the member for North West for the question. The regional mobile communications project has been a really important and exciting project for regional . Gascoyne Junction, which is in the member for North West’s electorate, was 177 kilometres away from mobile coverage, which is not very good if one has a mobile in Gascoyne Junction. However, it is good now because people’s mobiles now work. For a long time places such as Gascoyne Junction were just in a black hole for mobile coverage. Obviously now we are so dependent on the internet access we get through our phones as well, and this new tower enables that to happen. Gascoyne Junction is visited by a lot of tourists. It is really important for road safety that people have access to communications when they are travelling in regional areas. This mobile phone tower helps with that as well. The project will cost $40 million over three years. It is due to create more than 113 towers across regional Western Australia. It is well leveraged with the private sector. So that members know, I will run through the 23 sites that have already been completed. They are: Anna Plains in the Shire of Broome, Armanda River in the Shire of Halls Creek, Arrowsmith Exchange in the Shire of Three Springs, Arrowsmith Highway in the Shire of Irwin, Bethwyn Rise in the Shire of Broome, Bibbin Well in the Shire of East , Breton Bay in the Shire of Gingin, Capel in the Shire of Capel, Ellendale in the Shire of Derby–West Kimberley, Fisher in the Shire of Roebourne, Gascoyne Junction, which we have just talked about, Jillan Ridge in the Shire of Broome, McCann Well, Narembeen, Nullagine, Peedamulla in the Shire of Ashburton, Rocky in the Shire of Halls Creek, Sandfire, Wagoe in the Shire of Northampton, Walkaway in the City of Greater Geraldton, Warre Hill in the Shire of Broome, Woottating in the Shire of Northam and Yeeda in the Shire of Derby–West Kimberley. That is 23 new mobile towers that are up and running and providing coverage. There are more than 80 to come over the coming years, which will improve productivity and road safety in the regions, will enhance delivery of emergency services and will be very, very important for remote communities. An article that appeared on the front page of the Northern Guardian of Wednesday, 29 August made reference to the new communications tower at Gascoyne Junction propelling the town into the twenty-first century. That is welcome for that community, but, more importantly, the article reads, in part — Emergency service groups have welcomed the change, with the police saying it will help communications, particularly in the event of an accident. Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Kershaw said the new towers being installed also had repeaters for police radios, enhancing internal communications. So, the police radio network will be enhanced for all emergency services, and people’s mobile phones now work. That is one example, from Gascoyne Junction, about the rollout of the regional mobile communications project. We will roll it out over 113 sites in regional Western Australia, which will be a major improvement in communications across the regions, improving road safety and improving access to the internet for many, many people. It is a project that has been talked about for a long, long time, but it took the Liberal–National government to deliver it.

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