00:01About 28,000 regional Australians used the service last year just to improve their connectivity.
00:07There's still a significant difference between connectivity in the cities and regional Australia
00:11in the bush.
00:12We understand that, but these sort of services do help improve that connectivity and allow
00:17farmers and people living in regional towns to work out where their problems are and what
00:22their best options are.
00:24And it really has been an important service?
00:27It has, yes, it's been a very helpful service to work those problems out.
00:32We understand services probably won't be the same as metropolitan areas but they were closing
00:37the gap which was great and drive productivity across regional Australia.
00:42We need good connectivity and it enables people to work from regional Australia too and city-based
00:47jobs if there's good connectivity and it helps communities in regional Australia have families
00:53living and working out there.
00:54So it's a service that we would love to have funded.
00:58It was not funded in this budget but hopefully we'll be able to find another option to continue
01:04it.
01:04Yeah, because in some of these situations, they can be life and death situations where
01:08people are depending on this support and connectivity and so it's kind of critical in parts of Australia.
01:16It really is Joe, yes.
01:19It's a service that people take for granted in metropolitan areas but we have become to rely
01:26on mobile service and it's up and down with changes and now many of us in Western Queensland
01:33where I live, you know, use Starlink but we can't afford to have those mini-type devices,
01:40low-orbiting satellite devices and all vehicles and machinery.
01:43So, look, it's something that we need to find a way to fund because it really is, it's about
01:51workplace health and safety too on our farms if there are accidents.
01:53It's also, you know, just making people have a similar quality of life as they do in metropolitan areas.
01:59And so the NFF was running this support service and the funding that was coming from the federal
02:04government, $2 million to fund the service as I understand it.
02:08And so has all that funding is gone?
02:11Yes, it's going to dissolve at the end of this financial year, Joe.
02:14It employs 12 people at the moment.
02:16So, look, we've got a little window to find another source of funding.
02:19It was very disappointing but, look, we won't give up because it is very important for regional
02:24Australia for, as we've discussed, for all sorts of reasons, but particularly workplace health
02:29and safety and communities being able to engage properly.
02:33And have you been told why the funding's been cut?
02:37No, I think just, you know, obviously a lot of things had to be cut.
02:41We're in tough times, aren't we?
02:42And disappointing, this is something that was picked out to be discontinued.
02:48And anyway, we'll find a way of keeping it going, Joe, but it'd be great if the government
02:53did reconsider it.
02:54Yeah, the ABC's team, online team, put a couple of questions to the minister's office
03:00on this.
03:01And the minister's office replied, saying the government is providing support through other
03:05programs.
03:06She named one, the Better Connectivity Plan for Rural and Regional Australia.
03:11Is that enough to pick up the support if the hub doesn't continue?
03:16No, it's not, because we believe that half the funding there is also being cut, Joe.
03:21So there's just a genuine wind down of funding for these services across regional Australia.
03:28So, look, very disappointing.
03:30But, look, we know how important they are to, you know, the quality of life in regional
03:36Australia.
03:37So we've got to find a way of keeping them going, and we will, hopefully.
03:41And so are you hoping to get them from private individuals, this funding?
03:47Yes, that's right.
03:48And other tech companies and telecommunication companies have shown some interest.
03:52But we haven't been able to secure anything yet.
03:55Time will tell.
03:56But we definitely need to.
03:58And it'd be wonderful if the government was able to reconsider it and find the money somewhere.
04:02But anyway, if not, we'll find another way, hopefully.
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