Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation)

“We know that this legislation is the right decision because we know it's what rural and remote communities need right now across Australia. Extensive consultation informed this legislation with industry, consumer representatives, state and local governments as well as telecommunications stakeholders. That included mobile network providers, consumer advocacy groups and regional representatives. It's a collaborative process that has helped ensure the framework is practical, flexible and focused on public outcomes. It's been designed with the communities it will serve. The rural and remote communities have been at the absolute forefront of this thinking. It's so important because, at its core, connectivity is about safety, about equitable access to services and about better access to emergency services and support. This is exactly what this bill is focused on.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 28 May 2026

“I rise today to support the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025 and to applaud the Albanese Labor government's commitment to strengthening the resilience of Australia's telecommunications service. The Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation will require national mobile carriers Telstra, Optus and TPG to provide access to SMS and voice coverage for Australians nationwide, almost everywhere you can see the sky.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“It is not about waiting for perfection; it is about taking a big step forward. The vision is clear: a country where you can step outside, look up and connect, no matter where you live, no matter where you work, no matter where you travel. For the Hunter, that vision matters. That's why I support the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025, and that's why I commend it to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“As I have said, this bill that's before us should be embraced by all in this place, particularly regional members. It establishes for the first time in our history a universal outdoor mobile obligation. It says that, in our country, if you can see the sky, you should be able to access voice and mobile phones. For many in my part of the world, that is a game changer. The idea that you can drive throughout the region—my own region—and not get the SOS is something that many would welcome, knowing that on those catastrophic days you'll still be able to receive text messages and the early warning. That you'll still be able to receive voice calls is a game changer. Knowing that, if your daughter or son is driving home via Eppalock and something happens, they'll be able contact you—these things make a difference. They will ensure that all of us have the same opportunity as others in other parts of the country. I commend the bill and the reforms to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“A mobile phone is now how many Australians call for help, receive emergency information, access transport updates, produce a digital licence, make payments, contact family and interact with essential services. The law needs to recognise that reality. For communities across the country and for the constituents in Carlton and in my whole electorate, this bill sends a clear message: reliable mobile coverage matters and the standard we accept must keep rising. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 28 May 2026

“As I've said, this bill reflects the Albanese Labor government's foundational belief that every Australian, regardless of where they live, should have access to a basic level of mobile connectivity. Whether someone is facing a natural disaster stuck on a country road, hurt while working on a property or lost in remote bushland, the universal outdoor mobile obligation bill is designed to make sure mobile services are there at the moments when it matters the most. For people in rural, regional and remote parts of Australia, leveraging direct-to-device satellite technology from low-Earth-orbit satellites will translate to greater safety. In modern Australia, this baseline requirement is critical.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“This is a landmark reform. It is a bold step forward that embraces the future and puts people first, and I'm immensely proud to support this legislation. I'm proud to be part of the government that is finally delivering the connectivity that regional Australia deserves, because Labor understands the regions. I commend this bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“When I return to the story I began with, I think about the waiting, the uncertainty—that distance between need and help. A simple text could have changed that experience for me completely. Being able to make a call when you need to is not a luxury anymore. It is a baseline expectation in a modern nation. This bill updates our laws to reflect that expectation. I commend this bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“Our vision is clear. We are not sitting back waiting for technology to evolve to its own timetable. We're acting early to ensure that Australians benefit from emerging technologies as quickly and as equitably as possible. Improving coverage is a key concern for communities and a priority of this government. The UOMO ensures that almost anywhere Australians can see the sky, they will have access to outdoor mobile voice and text services. It means that when you look up, you can connect. No matter where you live or what you do, you deserve that connection.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“Another wild ride in the chamber! I rise to speak in support of the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025. On its face, this appears to be a technical reform, a structural amendment to telecommunications legislation. But when you strip away the statutory language and regulatory framing, the underlying proposition is remarkably simple: in modern Australia, if you're standing outdoors, under an open sky, you should reasonably expect to be able to make a phone call or send a text message, not stream a film, not upload gigabytes of data, not conduct high-definition conferencing—just call or send a message. For the first time, mobile voice and SMS services will be brought within Australia's universal services framework. That is not symbolic; it is structural and it reflects something fundamental. The way Australians communicate has changed dramatically. But, until now, the legal framework governing universal access has not fully caught up.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“I rise to support the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025. There has been a break in the debate from the last sitting, and I reference the contribution made by, I think, the member for Parkes, who was critical of this bill because he thought that it didn't go far enough. My question really is: what is the alternative? This is a chance either to do something or to do nothing. While it's quite an amazing statistic that something like 99 per cent of Australians are covered at the moment by mobile phone coverage, that also means that two-thirds of the Australian landmass is not covered. And so we need a practical solution that doesn't technically exist yet but we're working towards. At least this legislation does set down those guidelines clearly for industry to follow, and it does lead the way. It does focus the attention of industry to solve this problem. But, like the member for Parkes, who does represent an area where I grew up—in the town of Broken Hill—I share that frustration of being a member of an outer metropolitan seat. I know the frustration of having poor mobile phone coverage. Even though the community that I represent today and the community that I grew up in might be separated by geography, they are certainly not separated by demography. The communities that I represent are hardworking working-class Australians, committed to their families and their communities. And they have one other thing in common as well, which is poor mobile phone reception.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“There is no doubt in my mind that our telco providers are beholden to their shareholders. They are for-profit organisations. But they also have an obligation to provide services to every community across the country, and this is one way that our government wants to hold those telcos to account, to say, 'You need to do better and you need to do better for every Australian, not just Australians in our cities.' That's why today I'm rising to speak in support of the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation—because it establishes a new framework to create this obligation. It complements the existing universal service obligation, which applies to fixed voice services and payphones—which are also incredibly important right across our community—but this is a significant and important reform that will bring mobile services within that universal services framework. More Australians now have mobile devices than have landlines, so it's important that as government and as parliament we ask the telcos to make sure that they are providing universal services to mobile phones.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“The promise of connectivity is one that successive governments have made, but only this side has kept it. We told Australians that mobile phones would keep them connected. This has been true for most of us most of the time, but not for residents like those in Bundeena and Maianbar that are navigating a single lane road, not for hikers and trail runners in the Royal National Park, not for the thousands of commuters on Heathcote Road—who deserve the same coverage as any other major Sydney arterial—and not for the constituents of Hughes, who have held up phones and found nothing there. This bill starts keeping the promise properly, with a clear obligation and technology that can actually deliver it. This bill says that no Australian anywhere should look up, see the sky and find a phone call out of reach. To the people of Bundeena and Maianbar, to hikers in the Royal National Park, to the drivers of Heathcote Road and to every constituent in Hughes: this bill is about addressing your concerns and giving you peace of mind. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“Mobile telecommunications are essential to people in Australia, especially in regional, rural and remote areas. Stakeholders have longstanding concerns for public safety, given gaps in terrestrial mobile coverage, including on many regional and remote roads. In response, the universal outdoor mobile obligation will require major mobile network operators Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom and any other providers designated in the future to provide outdoor baseline mobile coverage across Australia on an equitable basis. This reform will benefit all Australians, particularly remote and regional communities, by expanding baseline mobile coverage, which will in turn improve public safety by enabling connectivity to essential services and triple zero.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“I rise today to strongly support the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025, a bill that will make a tangible, everyday difference for Australians in every electorate, especially for those living in our fast-growing suburbs and our outer-metro communities, like in my electorate of Pearce and the regions that keep this nation moving. I want to start, as I always do, with the people behind this policy—the families, the small-business owners and the community volunteers who have told me again and again that mobile coverage is not just about convenience anymore. It's about connection, about safety and about opportunity.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“The UOMO is a critical part of our comprehensive work to reduce the digital divide, increase productivity, support economic growth and meet Australia's growing demand for data and seamless connectivity. I know a decade ago it was almost impossible to work from home in many parts of my electorate because of the quality of ADSL. The NBN, as it came online, improved that, step by step. The increase in fibre to the home has been a game changer for people in the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury in being able to run their businesses effectively and successfully from home. I know I tried to do it in the early 2000 with dial-up, followed quickly by the first version of ADSL. It was hard as a small business having to manage that communication side and the volume of material that you could send. So I look back on those days and see how far we have come, particularly thanks to the NBN and the expansion of the mobile phone towers that I fought for for so many years. This is the next step—to make sure that, when people go outdoors into the wild almost anywhere in Australia, if they can see the sky they can make a voice or text call. Our vision is absolutely clear. This is about making Australia the most connected continent in the world. I'm very pleased to support this legislation as a key part of bringing telecommunications law into the 21st century and beyond.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“With this bill and with the opportunities presented, if you can see the sky, you'll have mobile coverage—from Cairns, where there are still dead spots, right the way to the Torres Strait, where, as we've recently heard, mobile reception is critical for our border security. The Torres Strait Islanders like to record any illegal incursions and send back to Border Watch. They will be able to do that more efficiently in between the islands to make that our borders are safe, to make sure that our communities are safe. I commend this bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“The Albanese Labor government is delivering a better and more connected future, not just for regional and remote Tasmania but for all of Australia. Labor's vision is clear: we want Australia to be the most connected continent in the world so that, no matter where you live or what you do, you can connect. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“I rise today to support the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025. Let me say from the outset, the coalition took a telecommunications universal service obligation to the last election. Essentially, that means that the service for telecommunications and data would be the same for city people as what's delivered to country people. That seems pretty fair and reasonable, particularly given what rural and regional Australia contributes to the overall economy, doesn't it? Let's look at what they do contribute. All the food and fibre is grown out in rural and regional Australia, all the mining royalties are generated in regional Australia and over $1 billion in coalmining is generated out in the regions, so it should be pretty fair for the regional and rural areas to get the same amount of telecommunications as the city.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“I hear Labor members talking about coverage in 99 per cent of where people live, and I look forward to that. I will be making sure that I keep in a folder all of the contributions that Labor members make to quote back at them in the future, because I welcome what is being proposed here.”

National Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House is of the opinion that the bill:”

Liberal Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“We don't want the one-size-fits-all outcome for communications; we want to use all the technology—mobile phone towers, direct to device, low orbit satellites. Technology is moving fast in this area, and whoever's in government will have to keep up. So you have our support for the concept; we just want to see it deliver better outcomes on the ground. As the member for Riverina said in his speech earlier—and apparently he's going to keep a folder of all the presentations by Labor members talking about how great this is going to be—it's great to talk about it here in the House of Representatives. It'll pass. It'll pass the Senate, I believe. Then it will be about the deliver and whether we actually get those better outcomes. We'll be holding the government to account on that.”

National Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“I support the intent of the bill and of the amendments moved by the member for Lindsay, and I commend them to the House.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“The intent is right. We absolutely want to provide coverage for everyone. But, unfortunately, like so many things that this government does, the intent might be good, but the delivery has to be there. The concern I have with this legislation is not with the legislation itself—as I said, the intent is there—but the minister who has carriage of this legislation has a track record of not being able to deliver when it comes to important legislation. We saw this minister, when they were the Minister for Aged Care, fail to support the aged-care industry and aged-care residents. They needed to be reshuffled across to communications. We've seen that failure when it came to the triple zero debacle and the 3G debacle. We've seen that with the social media ban—a big announcement. We saw them fly to New York and spend over $100,000 of taxpayer money for a five- or six-minute speech to claim all the glory of the legislation. Speak to any high-school kid, though. I've got a son in year 7, and he has said to me that all his mates are on social media. I still valiantly keep him off social media. Let's hope he actually listens to his dad.”

Liberal Party • MP • 28 May 2026

“I know that the Minister for Housing is completely ignorant of how people live their lives in the 21st century, and, as a consequence, she doesn't understand what she seeks to wreak upon our communities. But some of us are very squarely focused on what people need, which is why the universal outdoor mobile obligation is such an important part of the conversation. We know that, when Australians have a big problem with being able to access services, there is a role for government, to make sure that we bridge the divide—but I realise that the Minister for Housing is now leaving the chamber in humiliation, because of the shrill responses we have heard. That's her choice. We're going to continue to focus on how we build the housing infrastructure we need to promote homeownership. We're going to continue to build the telecommunications and telephonic infrastructure we need to make sure that Australians can live their lives and live out the best of their lives. At the end of the day, the Labor Party only has one pathway forward—they want to control your lives as Australians. They want to be able to grab the artifice and the instruments of the state, dictate to people how to live their lives and control their lives, whether it's economically, socially or educationally, through every stage. Some of us are going to stand up against it. Some of us are going to stand up for empowering Australians, whether it's in homeownership or making sure people have access to telecommunications services.”

Liberal Party • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“I rise to speak to the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025. For too long, Australians, including in my electorate, have put up with dreadful and patchy phone service due to privatisation, cost cutting and government neglect. Both Labor and Liberal governments have not addressed the inevitable failures resulting from Telstra's privatisation, and my constituents are paying the price. This bill updates the relevant legislation to better reflect modern technology but doesn't address the real issue at its heart: privatisation of what should be public services does not work. The Greens will support this bill in the House and reserve our position in the Senate.”

Australian Greens • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“Now I know that, in my time as the member, we have been able to get—and lobbied very, very hard to get—more mobile coverage across our area. But, truly, regional Australia deserves the same equitable mobile phone coverage—I mean, we've all had mobiles now for decades. It's hard to believe that so much of Australia is still left with absolutely no service at all. I do support this bill, but I do support it very cautiously.”

Centre Alliance • MP • 11 Mar 2026

“My hope is that this bill will hold the telecommunications providers to account and that the communities of Coasters Retreat, Mackerel Beach, The Basin and Narrabeen will finally have the mobile phone reception coverage that they deserve and can rely on. I commend the bill to the House.”

Independent • MP • 02 Mar 2026

“Lastly, I can give a personal example. I enjoy doing long-distance trail events, often in very remote areas of national parks. I have taken it upon myself to actually buy a mini GPS satellite device to ensure I am trackable and can be contactable by family. But that is not something that is the norm. That is not something that people in regional or remote communities should be having to do. There should be this underlying basis of essential infrastructure when it comes to mobile coverage. So I will support this legislation. As I said, I will support the amendment from the member for Indi. But I want to be very clear to the government that this has to work in practice. This can't just be legislation to look like you're addressing a problem but not actually in practice meaningfully changing mobile coverage to ensure all communities have access to triple zero.”

Independent • MP • 02 Mar 2026