The Australian Greens call for all Australians mobile phone users to have access to domestic roaming and call on the ACCC to put public safety first as the regulator launches a new inquiry.
Greens spokesperson for Communications, Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“It is a disgrace that Australians can’t rely on their mobile phones to work because the big telcos refuse to share their networks. The greed and arrogance of the phone companies is putting people’s lives and livelihoods at risk.
“Australians should be able to rely on our mobile phones working when we need them and domestic roaming is a no brainer in making that happen.
“This inquiry should focus on how, not if, we implement domestic roaming. Public safety should be explicitly considered in the inquiry’s terms of reference.
“Fixing our flawed telecommunications system must put the public interest at the centre of this conversation. It can’t just be about competition.
“Anything else is a distraction, kicks the can too far down the road, and risks more people’s lives.
“Repeated, disastrous failures from Telstra and Optus have only made the need for reform more urgent. Canada’s done it. New Zealand’s done it. There is no reason why the Australian Government can’t too.
“The public’s expectation is clear – they want domestic roaming.
“The only people who don’t want action on this are the big mobile phone companies, who are more worried about corporate profits. If the Labor Government is serious about putting people over profit, they will work with the Greens to introduce mandatory domestic roaming, reliability standards and proper compensation for consumers.
“I won’t be waiting for the outcomes of this inquiry to hold Big Telcos to account, and neither should the Labor Government.
“As we head into bushfire season, Australians must know that if they need to call for help, their phone will work.
“It’s high time we prioritised public interest in our telecommunications sector.”
