Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025

Summary

This legislation requires telecommunications companies to provide mobile phone coverage in outdoor public areas across Australia, ensuring people can make calls and use mobile data even in remote or regional locations. It amends the Telecommunications Act 1997 to impose this universal service obligation on mobile network providers, similar to existing rules that ensure phone services reach most Australians. The change matters because many Australians in regional and remote areas currently have poor or no mobile coverage outdoors, affecting their ability to contact emergency services, conduct business, and stay connected—this reform aims to close that gap by making reliable outdoor mobile coverage a legal requirement rather than a commercial choice.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause