Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor and State Member for Goulburn Pru Goward have announced three new mobile base stations for Lost River, Peelwood Road and Rye Park.

The locations – announced under Round 2 of the Coalition Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program – will improve mobile phone coverage for communities in the Upper Lachlan Shire and Boorowa area.

“This is fantastic news for families, emergency services and businesses in these rural areas of the Hume and Goulburn electorates,” Mr Taylor said.

“I’m so pleased to announce this as improved mobile coverage will ensure our community is safer, more accessible and better connected,” Ms Goward said.

Telstra will be the mobile network operator for these base stations which will be among 266 new facilities covering more than 17,500 square metres across Australia.

Round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Program represented a total new investment of $213 million towards improved mobile coverage, which included co-contributions from carriers and local and state governments (including $8.3 million from the NSW Government).

“Remember, Labor did not help build a single mobile tower nor invest a single cent in mobile coverage in six years of government. I’m proud to be delivering better mobile coverage to Hume,” Mr Taylor said.

Mr Taylor and Ms Goward said these new base stations were due to the efforts of the community in identifying black spot locations and advocating for them to be fixed.

“Improved connectivity will bring greater opportunities for our businesses, our young people and our families to keep living and working in regional communities like ours, and the NSW and Coalition Government's commitment to the Mobile Phone Black Spot Program is making that happen,” Ms Goward said.

Upper Lachlan Shire Council Mayor Brian McCormack said the new mobile base stations would improve communication for local residents and businesses, now and into the future.

“Investments such as these benefit the entire Upper Lachlan Shire by making our region an even more attractive place to work and live,” Mr McCormack said.

The program is the most significant one-time increase in mobile network coverage to outer metropolitan, regional and remote Australia delivered by a single public funding program in the history of mobile communications in Australia.

In total, Rounds 1 and 2 of the program will deliver new coverage to 32,000 homes and businesses across 86,000 square kilometres including 7600 of major transport routes via 765 new mobile phone towers.

Mr Taylor said the tender process for Round 3 was expected to begin in 2017.

Round 3 will provide coverage to black spot locations that have not previously received funding under round 1 & 2 – and to locations that have been overlooked by mobile network operators because they are not considered to be commercially viable.

For more information, visit https://www.communications.gov.au/what-we-do/phone/mobile-services-and-coverage/mobile-black-spot-program