Victorian Nationals: Gaelle Broad MP - Reliable power and mobile services not a luxury

The Nationals' Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad has called on the State Government to act urgently to ensure regional Victorians have reliable power and mobile coverage, warning that current failures pose serious safety risks.

Ms Broad raised the issue in Parliament and shared the experience of Sue Davies from Norong in north-east Victoria. Ms Davies has spent $2,000 on a booster and aerials just to use mobile phones inside her home.

"Even then, the phones only work when the power is on. If the power goes out, the phones go out too," Ms Broad said.

Ms Broad said the danger of this situation was starkly highlighted during January's bushfire threat, when the VicEmergency app alerted the family to a nearby fire - only for the power to fail just 16 minutes later, cutting off phone service and access to emergency updates.

"That is a terrifying situation for any family," she said.

"In regional Victoria, losing power can also mean losing communications entirely."

Ms Broad said unreliable single-phase power, ongoing mobile black spots and fragile infrastructure continued to affect regional communities.

"In places like Maiden Gully, people still need to carry cash because mobile coverage is so poor that EFTPOS regularly fails," she said.

More than 100,000 Victorian properties lost power recently amid high electricity demand, with heat-related illness already the leading cause of death from natural disasters in Australia.

Ms Broad said regional Victorians deserve better.

"Sue put it perfectly in her letter: 'Surely having reliable power and mobile coverage should be essential services.' I could not agree more," she said.

"Reliable electricity and mobile coverage are not luxuries - they are critical for safety, health, business and staying informed in emergencies. The government must treat them that way."

Ms Broad said she looked forward to the Minister's response and called for urgent action to fix persistent regional service failures.

Media Contact: Linda Barrow 0484 303 764

[email protected]