TOWNS DISCONNECTED

In 2026, you cannot run a farm, a freight business, a health service or a small shop without reliable phone and internet. Yet along the Cobb Highway between Deniliquin and Mathoura, there are documented “dead zones” where travellers cannot report accidents and farmers cannot call an ambulance after a workplace injury . In parts of Leeton Shire, school buses have been unable to contact dispatch and farmers cannot monitor remote irrigation sensors because there is simply no signal. This is an emergency.

Since telecommunications were privatised, responsibility has been blurred and rural communities have paid the price. The 3G shutdown forced farmers and small businesses to replace working medical alarms, fire systems and water telemetry equipment, often without compensation. Residents between Moulamein and Deniliquin report they have little or no signal unless they pay for expensive external antennas, a cost city customers never face. Digital connectivity underpins emergency response, agriculture and small business. It must be recognised and delivered as an essential service for Murray.