Thursday, 5 February 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:48): (2119) My constituency question is for the Minister for Emergency Services. This summer we have seen fires and floods impact areas of high tourism visitation, including along the ever-popular Great Ocean Road. We know how important it is for our emergency services to be able to communicate with one another and provide updates efficiently and effectively. I am advised by SES members on the ground in Port Campbell that the influx of visitors has put such a strain on telecommunications that essential apps such as the supplementary alerting service app and even WhatsApp were unable to be utilised during the peak of the emergencies. The ability to communicate during an emergency is obviously of utmost importance. As such my constituents would like to know what you are doing to ensure telecommunication systems are reliable during disasters in places like Port Campbell.