Gov to spend $10m on public safety mobile broadband taskforce

The government will spend $10.1 million setting up a central taskforce to deliver a long-discussed public safety mobile broadband (PSMB) service.

Communications minister Michelle Rowland flagged the forthcoming budget allocation on Tuesday ahead of next week’s federal budget.

Emergency services have long asked for their own dedicated mobile broadband capability.

Feasibility trials for such a service were led by the NSW government in 2021, and the regional telecommunications review also called for the PSMB to be progressed.

Rowland said today that establishing a taskforce “is a critical step in advancing the national PSMB program”.

“A PSMB capability would deliver a mobile broadband service that provides public safety agencies and first responders with fast and secure voice, video and data communications,” she said.

“Near instant access to data, images and information in critical situations will be enabled along with real time, data-rich analytics, situational awareness and cross-border communications between, for example, ground crews, aerial assets and incident control centres.

“This will support the coordination of responses across organisational and geographic boundaries, and enhance Australia’s ability to manage emergencies, hazards and threats.”

The government did not outline any specific delivery expectations or milestones that the taskforce will be asked to deliver against.

Rowland also said that an emergency warning and alert system that was flagged back in 2021 would also be progressed.

The system will allow “alerts and warnings” to be sent to mobile phones and devices “in near real time” and in multiple languages. 

It is set to be “designed, built and tested over the next 18 months, becoming operational by late 2024.”

“These measures in the 2023-24 federal budget will improve our ability to respond to natural disasters or emergencies to keep Australians safe from harm,” Rowland said.