Media release - Labor's mobile announcement rushed

Melissa McIntosh MP
Shadow Minister for Communications
Shadow Minister for Western Sydney
Federal Member for Lindsay

25 February 2025

Labor’s mobile announcement rushed

The Albanese Labor Government has attempted to grab a desperate headline by announcing what they are calling a ‘Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation’ on the eve of the election.

The government claims this will provide mobile coverage, almost everywhere, but has failed to detail which areas will miss out or the cost. 

Low Earth Orbit Satellites and Direct to Device offers exciting new technology but they are not yet fully tested, trialled or readily available in Australia.

Shadow Minister for Communications, Melissa McIntosh said, "the Coalition has always led in the delivery of mobile connectivity to rural, regional, and remote Australia and will continue to do so.”

“This announcement seems rushed and has been pushed out by the government during Estimates and just days or weeks before Australians go to the polls.

“Labor’s new Mobile Obligation provides empty promises for customers in regional and remote areas who are desperate for better telecommunications connectivity, particularly after the shambolic mess from the closure of the 3G network.

"The government has failed to declare how much the Mobile Obligation commitment will cost and who will have to pay for it.

"Australians have been smashed by the Government’s cost of living crisis and will be rightly concerned about the prospect of higher mobile phone bills under the Albanese Labor Government’s last-minute plan."