Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2026

Sue Lines

I will now deal with the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2026. I will first deal with the second reading amendment circulated by the opposition. The question is that the amendment as moved by the opposition on sheet 4145 be agreed to.

Opposition's circulated amendment—

At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate:

(a) affirms that reliable and affordable mobile coverage is an essential service for regional, rural and remote Australians, underpinning personal safety, business productivity and participation in the digital economy; and

(b) is of the opinion that the bill:

(i) does not provide sufficient certainty that universal outdoor mobile connectivity for voice and SMS services will be delivered to all Australians within the requisite timeframe, particularly for those living in regional, rural and remote Australia,

(ii) places a vague and uncertain obligation on carriers and carriage service providers to provide 'reasonable access' to outdoor mobile connectivity on an 'equitable basis',

(iii) legislates the use of technologies such as voice to satellite before it either exists at scale or is commercially available, fuelling uncertainty and raising false hope, particularly for Australians living or working in regional Australia,

(iv) does not account for the fact that many handset devices in the Australian market will not be compatible with the technology required to access universal outdoor mobile connectivity, and

(v) does not include express obligations in relation to universal access to triple zero emergency voice calls and SMS messages which is crucial for the health and safety of all Australians; and

(c) notes that:

(i) the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission commenced an inquiry on 5 August 2026 into regional mobile coverage across Australia, including whether one or more wholesale mobile services, including domestic roaming, should be declared, and that this inquiry provides the appropriate forum to assess the feasibility of a regional mobile roaming service, and

(ii) the Universal Service Obligation, which was designed to ensure reasonable and equitable access to a standard telephone service and payphones, is no longer fit for purpose and should be modernised to establish stronger expectations on carriers and carriage service providers to deliver reliable mobile and internet services, particularly in regional, rural and remote Australia".