Telstra and Optus’ two-month delay on the 3G mobile network shutdown is a failure of the Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and defies recommendations from a Senate inquiry.
Minister Rowland has let the telcos put Australians in danger by failing to put any conditions on the 3G shutdown.
A two-month delay is nowhere near enough time to fix the million mobile and non-mobile devices the shutdown is still estimated to seriously affect.
Minister Rowland must intervene to place conditions on the shutdown.
Australians must be guaranteed they will not lose coverage, that everyone’s pacemakers and medical alarms have all been upgraded, that all 4G phones will be able to call Triple-0 and that every industry has been made aware of the critical equipment that will stop working in their businesses.
Minister Rowland has let the telco companies off scot-free.
She is failing to secure a single condition on the shutdown despite a Senate Inquiry recommendation to put guarantees in place.
There will be no consequences if Telstra and Optus flick the switch and leave hundreds of thousands of Australians in danger.
Only weeks ago, the Minister’s Department admitted they are still finding new industries and devices that the shutdown will affect.
Additionally, Minister Rowland continues to ignore serious incompatibility issues and lack of standardisation between telcos seeking to lock customers into their networks to gouge and exploit the customers they are supposed to serve.
The 3G shutdown is only being done to boost the profits of Telstra and Optus at the expense of Australians living through a cost-of-living crisis.
Again, I’m asking Minister Rowland to put Australians before telco profits and intervene to secure the necessary service guarantees before the shutdown.
– Senator Malcolm Roberts
