Pauline Hanson Warns Isolated Australians Fear They Could be Cut Off

One Nation Leader Senator Pauline Hanson has written to Communications Minister Mitch Fifield on behalf of concerned constituents living in remote areas of Queensland who are worried that ending the Telecommunications Universal Service Obligation (TUSO) might leave up to 90,000 Australians living in remote locations without adequate telephone coverage.

Senator Hanson explains in her letter to the Minister that in areas of the country outside of mobile phone coverage, it is critical that they continue to be provided with landline service.

Senator Hanson acknowledged the validity of the economic reasons behind the decision to wind up the TUSO by 2020, however requested further advice from the Minister as to what certainty could be given to concerned Australians that the Government understood how this might impact those living in remote locations and how the Government would be working to solve this.

Senator Hanson provided the Minister with a briefing paper and a fact sheet provided to Senator Hanson by the Queensland branch of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association.

Senator Hanson urged the Government to do everything it could to “assure those outside the major centres that it understands the challenges they face.”

And stressed how important it was that the “Government endeavours to provide them with access to similar services to those enjoyed by the rest of the country.

And that the Government realised that “basic delivery of education to children in remote areas is paramount.”

Senator Hanson explained that the issues raised in her letter were also indicative “of communication problems which the change will present in other ways, specifically for the delivery of medical and other essential services to our most remote areas.”

And that while the figures quoted in her letter referred to Queensland, “the problem of course will be experienced by many others in remote areas in other states and the Northern Territory.”

Senator Hanson is currently waiting for a response from the Minister.