The Cootharaba Community Association (CCA) is continuing its push for better local mobile coverage following a recent response from the Federal Minister for Communications.
In August this year, Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien MP advocated on behalf of the Cootharaba Community Association, writing directly to the Hon. Anika Wells MP, Minister for Communications and Minister for Sport, regarding the community’s ongoing frustrations with unreliable mobile reception.
Minister Wells responded to Mr O'Brien in late September, acknowledging the network concerns raised by the CCA and local residents.
Government obligations and telco responsibilities
In her response, the minister highlighted the government’s Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO). This framework requires major mobile network operators to ensure that outdoor SMS and mobile voice calling remain reasonably available across the nation.
However, Ms Wells noted that individual service providers—such as Telstra and Optus—are ultimately best positioned to resolve localised infrastructure and service faults. She encouraged Cootharaba residents to maintain direct communication with their providers to report specific dropouts and blackspots. The letter also outlines practical troubleshooting measures that households can take independently to boost their indoor and outdoor reception.
CCA's next steps
The CCA remains committed to securing a reliable, long-term connectivity outcome for the area. Moving forward, the association will keep escalating these concerns to relevant oversight bodies, including the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), to ensure the community’s voice is heard.
Residents can read the correspondence in full below.
Download letter to Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien MP from the Hon. Anika Wells MP [PDF]
