By Ethan Benedicto
A stack of over 3000 physical surveys made their home in Holt MP Cassandra Fernando’s office with 2000 more via email after she inquired local citizens on reception issues.
While there was a barrage of complaints and concerns, the most common factor that was more often mentioned than not was calling triple-zero.
“The people, if you look at all these surveys – with the people I’ve spoken to – they can’t call triple-zero and that’s a basic necessity for any person living in this country,” Ms Fernando said.
A total of 10,000 surveys were sent out by the office, and to receive half of them back was nothing short of astounding according to Ms Fernando.
While the survey was recent, planning for tackling the reception issues in her electorate and surrounds had been brewing since April 2022.
What began with door-knocking and calling constituents, soon developed further during the pre-polling season when she realised it was a much bigger topic and issue.
“I said to myself and to those people, if I come into government, or as a Member for Holt, that was something that was going to be a main focus for me, that these people get the coverage they need,” she said.
The Connecting Victoria campaign and the $56 million Victorian Mobile Project will see more than 230 places in the state fitted with better mobile infrastructure, to deliver more than 1400 projects by 2026.
With this, Ms Fernando said that “people who are planning or are planners that had these estates planned out, should have had the towers as something they considered”.
“When the pandemic hit in 2020, a lot of people were struggling to work, especially because they didn’t have the connectivity.
“This should have been considered by these planners before those houses were built.
“I’m glad it’s (Connecting Victoria) coming in, the towers are coming which is great,” she said.
Now that the surveys have finished, the next phase involved meeting with telco companies, namely Optus, Telstra, Vodafone and TPG.
“I want to work with the telcos and the council to make sure that these people get one of the most essential items of their life.
“I’ve spoken to Optus twice, a Zoom meeting and I met with them in parliament where I showed them the surveys.
“Showing them that was very important because this is not my word, it’s the people’s, the ones who live there,” she said.
When she spoke with Optus, Ms Fernando said that although they are in the planning phase, Optus had plans for ten sites in the surrounding areas.
She also spoke with City of Casey’s CEO Glenn Patterson where she emphasised to him that the surveys show “a community need for proper mobile coverage”.
Likewise, she also called for other electorates whose citizens are experiencing reception issues to take action similar to hers, or anything that addresses the issue.
“I’ve faced the issue myself and I think just experiencing it is very important to know these people’s struggles that they have to go through.
“See, someone said here ‘we feel unsafe living here, we have either lost connection and/or can’t even call triple-zero for emergencies’.
“I had one lady tell me that she was feeling so sick, she couldn’t call emergency services that her husband had to drive her to the hospital,” Ms Fernando said.
At a recent visit to parliament, Ms Fernando got in touch with Greenway MP and Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland, where the latter party acknowledged the issue.
“She said to me that she’s aware of it and that she’s going to take it as one of her priority issues because she knows how tough it is,” Ms Fernando said.
She emphasised that in the 21st century, having adequate mobile coverage can almost be as important as having water when it comes to accessing services and maintaining contact, especially in emergencies.
“I think the pandemic changed everyone’s lives in that sense, there’s a lot of young families out there and a lot of them work from home three to four days a week.
“These little things can change an entire aspect of your life, in this day and age mobile coverage is important in any household.
“Not just that however, but for schools, businesses, childcare centres – these places are your necessities,” she said.
The meeting with Telstra is set to take place on Tuesday 26 March, with Ms Fernando and her office confident in their progress.
