The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) has said that recent extreme weather events across the state have highlighted the need to extend reliable digital coverage.
LGAQ said that the digital connectivity divide was putting residents and property at risk in Australia’s most decentralised and disaster-prone state, and called for bipartisan support to improve connectivity state-wide.
As part of the LGAQ’s campaign for fairer funding for local government, the association is calling on all major parties contesting the May 3 Federal Election to recognise the urgent need to improve Queensland’s emergency infrastructure, especially digital services.
LGAQ and ALGA president, Mayor Matt Burnett, said that disaster resilience and recovery are a matter of the highest priority for every one of Queensland’s 77 councils and this includes access to reliable connectivity in all parts of the state.
“Connectivity challenges can have a massive impact on a community’s liveability at the best of times, let alone during a natural disaster when the risk becomes extreme,” Mayor Burnett said.
“Reliable digital communication dramatically boosts a community’s ability to better prepare and then recover faster from natural disasters.
“Queensland has had three severe weather events in as many months this year. The western Queensland floods, the North Queensland floods and the recent impact of Cyclone Alfred are just further illustrations of how desperately we need real government initiatives and funding to delete the digital divide once and for all, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas.”
The stark warning follows research conducted by the LGAQ showing nine out of 10 Queensland communities will likely suffer a crippling digital blackout when natural disasters strike.
More than 90 per cent of councils surveyed to inform the LGAQ’s submission to the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC) believed it to be at least likely that connectivity would be lost during an emergency.
LGAQ CEO, Alison Smith, said that the widescale flooding in Central West and South West Queensland again exposed the need for more flood gauges and weather radar coverage in these regions.
Smith said that the LGAQ welcomed a $10 million election commitment from both the Coalition and Labor towards improved weather radar for these flood-stricken regions.
“But councils would like to see immediate commitments from both sides of politics to address every connectivity black hole right throughout the state, no matter how remote.”
Smith said that many regional, rural and remote Queenslanders were being left behind because of outdated equipment as well as rapid technology change.
“That’s why the LGAQ supported the finding by the 2024 RTIRC that “continuous oversight” was needed to ensure progress with connectivity in these areas.”
In its final report, the RTIRC recommended the government switch from the current three-year cycle of reviews to a permanent Regional Telecommunications Commissioner or Advisory Panel.
Such an arrangement would enable the continuous monitoring of service adequacy, advocacy on behalf of rural communities and real-time responses to emerging issues, the report said.
Queensland councils want the Federal Government to support the LGAQ’s plan to delete the digital divide, included in a suite of measures to support Queensland communities with fairer local government funding and deliver a $73.8 billion boost to the state’s economy as well as create more than 105,000 jobs.
Longreach Mayor, Tony Rayner, said that it’s absolutely critical to have contemporary communications systems in place.
“Simply because without them, we’re flying blind. That’s what happened largely in this instance – we were down, we had no connection and relying on very primitive systems,” Mayor Rayner said.
“It’s 2025 – we should have a system as good as what you get in southeast Queensland and Canberra. People out here should not be disadvantaged.
“Public safety is paramount – a big election ask is investment of funds and improved telecommunications in regional western Queensland.”
Redland City Mayor, Jos Mitchell, said that in 2025, parts of the city of approximately 167,000 people, are still experiencing blackspots and unreliable internet services.
“That’s unacceptable by today’s standards,” Mayor Mitchell said.
“A reliable and fast internet service is crucial in times of natural disaster, and this was never more evident than when Tropical Cyclone Alfred crossed our coastline in early March.
“During the height of the disaster, Energex and telecommunication providers reported more than 41,000 customers were without power and communications – more than 9,000 of these were isolated island communities.
“We are calling for the Australian Government to commit to providing reliable connectivity, by not only significantly investing in new infrastructure but also ensuring that existing infrastructure is fit for purpose and, importantly, disaster resilient.”
