The Hon Michelle Rowland MP
Minister for Communications
Member for Greenway
Fiona Phillips MP
Member for Gilmore
Australian Government delivers increased communications network resilience across Gilmore
Gilmore is now better prepared for emergencies and natural disasters following the installation of backup NBN Sky Muster satellite services across a number of local sites under the Australian Government’s Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters (STAND) program, including Nowra Showground Batemans Bay Community Hub, Ulladulla and Moruya SES Units, Batemans Bay, Moruya and Shoalhaven RFS Units, and the Mogo RFS Training Centre.
The Australian Government is protecting communities through the STAND program by investing in improved connectivity for emergency services depots and evacuation centres, improved telecommunications resilience under the Mobile Network Hardening Program (MNHP), and portable communications facilities across the country. All of these measures will help to save lives and reduce the impact of natural disasters on the community.
The satellite services being deployed at emergency service depots and community evacuation centres across the country will provide backup and alternative communications facilities. Emergency services supporting communities in Gilmore will now be able to remain connected through NBN’s Sky Muster satellite services when land-based networks are disrupted or offline, while evacuated residents at community centres can remained connected to family and friends during natural disasters.
STAND-funded assets have proven to be effective in supporting local communities during natural disasters, including the 2022 East Coast Floods in New South Wales and Queensland, the December 2021 and January 2022 Western Australia bushfires, Cyclone Seroja, the June 2021 Victorian and Ingham, Queensland floods.
For more information on the STAND program, go to www.infrastructure.gov.au/stand
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:
“The Albanese Government is committed to delivering the investments and infrastructure which local communities need to be better prepared for natural disasters.
“These projects across Gilmore are among 1,065 delivered so far under the program, with the remaining projects to be completed by November 2022.
“While no network can ever be 100 per cent disaster-proof, these investments will go a long way towards ensuring local residents can stay connected in the most difficult times, especially to access potentially lifesaving information and advice”.
Quotes attributable to the Member for Gilmore, Fiona Phillips MP:
“During the 2019-20 bushfires, we saw how essential communications are – and how disastrous it can be when they go out.
“Improving local communications has been one of my top priorities and these projects are a major boost for communities across Gilmore. They come off the back of nine other satellites that have been delivered across the South Coast in places like Kangaroo Valley, Milton and Sussex Inlet.
“It will help ensure we minimise the risk of local communications network disruptions when natural disasters strike.
“I am pleased the Albanese Government is listening to our community and making significant inroads toward more resilient communications infrastructure that keep local people safe and informed.
