Adjournment
Caulfield electorate telecommunications infrastructure
David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (19:00): (311) My adjournment tonight is to the Minister for Planning, and the action that I seek is that the minister work with the Glen Eira council and telecommunications providers to address signalling issues within our community. In the past 18 months the strength of telecommunications signals in Elsternwick, Ripponlea and Caulfield South has deteriorated significantly. Many of the residents have advised me that they have corresponded with their various telecommunications providers and with the council, and unfortunately there has been no resolution. In the community we had a survey that suggested that emergency phone calls cannot be made to 000, which leads to life-threatening situations. There are public safety matters that arise, particularly when constituents cannot communicate with relevant authorities, which also puts them further at risk, and elderly constituents have been unable to reach out to family members when they are in need. Those working from home also are finding it very difficult at the moment, and local businesses reliant on telecommunications are having issues with that as well. In Elsternwick they have got situations where many of the small businesses on Glen Huntly Road cannot even use an EFTPOS machine to transact, and we have had situations where many of those traders have had to go out onto the street with their EFTPOS machine to get a signal to be able to make that transaction. It is very much Third World, and it has got to be rectified. I would ask if the minister could liaise with the various telecommunications providers and the council and get a solution to ensure that those living in Elsternwick, Caulfield South, Ripponlea and surrounds are connected as they rightly should be.