Labor makes $656m regional telecoms pitch with specific funding for farmers

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the "comprehensive targeted plan" would ensure better mobile coverage on roads, on farms and across regional communities.

Under the party's vision, a $400m fund will be established to expand multi-carrier mobile coverage along roads, as well as for regional homes and businesses.

Labor vowed to distribute the money to where it was needed most, with a $20m independent national audit of mobile coverage to establish an evidence baseline to guide future priorities. Mobile signal measurement devices would also be placed on Australia Post vehicles to gather information about the nation's priorities areas .

The party committed $30m to help expand on-farm connectivity and enable better wireless extension solutions on the field, which Mr Albanese said would allow more farmers to fully utilise sensor and connected-machinery technology, improving the efficiency of food production and supporting the export potential of the sector.

"This is critical to modern agriculture and making sure Australian farms are as efficient and competitive as they can be," Mr Albanese said.

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A further $200m was committed to continue investing in place-based connectivity projects.

Drawing from the Regional Connectivity Program, Labor's communication spokesperson Michelle Rowland said projects could include better mobile voice and data coverage, targeted fibre deployments, and improved microwave and fibre backhaul capacity to locations across regional and remote Australia.

"We will grow the economy by investing in productivity enhancing digital infrastructure, as well as improving quality of life for regional communities and road commuters through better mobile coverage," Ms Rowland said.

The Regional Tech Hub would have its funding boosted by $6m to serve as a trusted intermediary and source of free and independent advice.

In the recently announced budget, the government announced a new $811.8m initiative, Connecting Regional Australia, to invest in telecommunications priority areas across regional, rural, remote and peri-urban Australia over the next five years.