CALL FOR BETTER RURAL PHONE SERVICE
Fatal crash highlights issue
Donna Gilbert stood watching the cars burn, and the phone in her hand was all but useless because of the black spot she found herself in.
Ms Gilbert, 53, of Cungulla, is scared that during the next fatal crash near her rural township, no one else’s phone will work either.
About 1.30pm on Easter Monday, emergency services were called to the scene of a two-car head-on collision in an isolated area near Cungulla.
Kodi Tanerau-love, 23, died at the scene. Both cars were totally burnt out and a car which came across the crash helped get an 81-year-old man and 60-year-old woman out of the other vehicle.
Someone was able to make a triple-0 call that afternoon. Ms Gilbert was told of the crash and realised her neighbour was in the other vehicle.
She rushed out to help, and said her phone calls and messages were not sending.
“It really was distressing to think that you’ve got no phone service to ask for anyone’s help,” she said.
The crash happened about 10km northwest of Cungulla and about 35km southeast of Townsville.
Ms Gilbert said she had good phone and internet connections from NBN and Telstra at home, but out of the township was a different story. Particularly along the road where the crash happened, as drivers made their way to the Highway.
“It’s just made us more aware of how isolated we are, especially only 40 minutes from Townsville, a major city,” she said Ms Gilbert, who worked as a nurse and a police officer, said the accident brought back traumatic memories.
She has started a petition, calling for improved phone coverage in the area.
Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the Cungulla crash highlighted the importance of mobile connectivity for safety.
There are two grant schemes currently open for applications, funded to the tune of $160m.
One of the programs is a regional connectivity program, the other is for mobile black spots.
“I would encourage those community members (in Cungulla) to nominate that as a site,” Ms Rowland said.
The schemes operated under a ‘cocontribution’ model, meaning the telco makes an outlay, but the government pays as well.
“Look, you might not think this is economical, but if the federal government funds a good proportion of it, it can be more than 50 per cent now under our new guidelines,” Ms Rowland said.
Bruce