Reports emerging today have revealed remote emergency services have been put at risk after a botched NBN rollout left the remote area in which they operate without service.
A working satellite servicing areas of the Kimberley was turned off without any NBN service in place to provide coverage.
This bungled NBN satellite rollout has left remote communities and users with no service, including a remote emergency services operator.
Two remote bases of emergency service operator HeliSpirit, based in Kununurra in Western Australia, were left without crucial internet connectivity and with no replacement service under the NBN rollout.
The lack of service has left HeliSpirit’s medivac and search and rescue operations at risk, because their aircraft cannot operate safely without internet service.
HeliSpirit had requested NBN connections be made 8 months prior to the former satellite being switched off, but still NBN Co had not connected them.
Labor has today written to the Minister for Communications, Mitch Fifield, seeking an urgent explanation of the matter.
This issue is yet another example of the failure of Malcolm Turnbull’s second rate NBN. Now his stuff up is impacting on emergency services.
This report comes just days after NBN Co claimed that NBN satellite service reliability has been ‘massively improved’.
Malcolm Turnbull has a terrible record of backflips and spin on NBN satellites. In opposition he opposed them, in Government he’s applauded them and now he has bungled their implementation.
Once again we see Malcolm Turnbull’s botched rollout of his second rate NBN is leaving consumers with poor service.
Labor has been calling for an independent review into the NBN satellite service to make sure more consumers don’t have the same coverage problems that HeliSpirit have faced. Rural and regional customers deserve better than the inferior service the Turnbull Government is rolling out.
Australia needs a National Broadband Network that is truly national and serves all of Australia’s communities, both urban and regional.
