Regional Connectivity

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:36): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier advise the house about the rollout schedule for the 27 proposed mobile base stations for the Limestone Coast? Mr Speaker, with your leave and the leave of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: In October last year, the Malinauskas Labor government announced it will provide $5.5 million to boost connectivity in the Limestone Coast to install 27 new mobile base stations across the Limestone Coast. In December, the federal Albanese government announced $15 million to add to funding already committed by the Malinauskas Labor government. This project now has investment from all three tiers of government, which we welcome. When can we expect to see progress?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:36): It's good to see the member for MacKillop holding the government to account on a recent measure that we have committed to. I know the member for MacKillop is very much focused on serving the people of his electorate and telecommunications has been a consistent theme in terms of the issues that he has raised with me.

The Limestone Coast, unfortunately, despite being one of the most productive areas of the state agriculturally, amongst other industries I should add, doesn't enjoy the economic investment that really befits it in respect of telecommunications, which is exactly why the state government decided to take up the member for MacKillop and also the member for Mount Gambier's calls to engage in what is normally an unprecedented or unusual arrangement where the state government contributes funds of this nature to a specific program.

We elected to do so, and we are very grateful that since then we have seen other announcements and the member for MacKillop is right to refer to the fact that in December last year the federal government announced on the back of the state government's commitment its own $15 million contribution to the Limestone Coast funding program that will fund the 27 towers.

Since then, the state government continues to be engaged with not just the commonwealth but also local government and we are working to establish exactly what that timeframe will be. We would like to see this rolled out expeditiously. We understand that the commonwealth is going through a process at the moment in respect of round 3 of the Regional Connectivity Program, but we want to know exactly when and where the installation of these projects will commence. I'm more than happy to make sure that, as we get updates on the matter, we liaise with and advise the member for MacKillop so that he can distribute them to his substantial networks in the Limestone Coast.

Be under no misapprehension, this is a priority for us. That's why we have allocated the funding as described. There is no hold-up at all in respect of this South Australian government. We all, of course—and I know the member for MacKillop and his constituents would have loved to have seen this type of attention during the course of the life of previous governments, previous governments who neglected showing any interest in the Limestone Coast. I think, as Premier of the state, I have had the opportunity to visit the Limestone Coast in the space of my first 12 months in office more than what the former Premier was able to achieve during the entirety of the life of their government.

We know that there were slogans and hashtags and trips to Texas. What we didn't see was investment in the Limestone Coast that was serious. We have done that, it is now in the budget, it is being delivered and we will seek to procure for the member for MacKillop as quickly as possible a timeline once that is developed in conjunction with Telstra. We also thank for their partnership and their leadership in this regard Telstra and the federal government.