The Local Government Association (LGAQ) is calling on all major parties contesting the 3 May Federal Election to recognise the urgent need to improve Queensland’s emergency infrastructure, especially digital services.
The Association says the devastating Outback floods were another demonstration of the critical need for bipartisan support to extend reliable digital coverage to every corner of Australia’s most decentralised and disaster-prone state.
LGAQ president, Gladstone Mayor Matt Burnett said disaster resilience and recovery were a matter of the highest priority for every one of Queensland’s 77 councils.
“Connectivity challenges can have a massive impact on a community’s liveability at the best of times, let alone during a natural disaster when the risk becomes extreme,” said President Burnett.
“Reliable digital communication dramatically boosts a community’s ability to better prepare and then recover faster from natural disasters.
“Queensland has had three severe weather events in as many months this year. The western Queensland floods, the North Queensland floods and the recent impact of Cyclone Alfred are just further illustrations of how desperately we need real government initiatives and funding to delete the digital divide once and for all, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas.”
The stark warning follows research conducted by the LGAQ showing nine-in-10 Queensland communities will likely suffer a crippling digital blackout when natural disasters strike.
More than 90% of councils surveyed to inform the LGAQ’s submission to the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee believed it to be at least likely that connectivity would be lost during an emergency.
“In 2025, parts of our city of approximately 167,000 people, are still experiencing blackspots and unreliable internet services. That’s unacceptable by today’s standards,” said Redland City Council Mayor, Jos Mitchell.
“A reliable and fast internet service is crucial in times of natural disaster, and this was never more evident than when Tropical Cyclone Alfred crossed our coastline in early March.
“During the height of the disaster, Energex and telecommunication providers reported more than 41,000 customers were without power and communications – more than 9000 of these were isolated island communities.
“We are calling for the Australian Government to commit to providing reliable connectivity, by not only significantly investing in new infrastructure but also ensuring that existing infrastructure is fit for purpose and, importantly, disaster resilient.”
LGAQ CEO, Alison Smith said the widescale flooding in Central West and South West Queensland again exposed the need for more flood gauges and weather radar coverage in these regions.
She said the LGAQ welcomed a $10 million election commitment from both the Coalition and Labor towards improved weather radar for these flood-stricken regions.
“But councils would like to see immediate commitments from both sides of politics to address every connectivity black hole right throughout the State, no matter how remote.”
Ms Smith said many regional, rural and remote Queenslanders were being left behind because of outdated equipment as well as rapid technology change.
“That’s why the LGAQ supported the finding by the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC) that “continuous oversight” was needed to ensure progress with connectivity in these areas,” she said.
In its final report, the RTIRC recommended the Government switch from the current three-year cycle of reviews to a permanent Regional Telecommunications Commissioner or Advisory Panel.
Such an arrangement would enable the continuous monitoring of service adequacy, advocacy on behalf of rural communities and real-time responses to emerging issues, the report said.
Queensland councils want the Federal Government to support the LGAQ’s plan to delete the digital divide, included in a suite of measures to support Queensland communities with fairer local government funding and deliver a $73.8 billion boost to the State’s economy as well as create more than 105,000 jobs.
Full details on the LGAQ’s campaign for fairer local government funding can be viewed here.
