Infrastructure Australia is delivering the 2021 Plan to a telecommunications sector that is changing rapidly and responding to several crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.
We have not attempted to address issues being covered by the work of other agencies, and acknowledge:
• the Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters (STAND) package of May 2020
• the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements (September 2020)
• state-level bushfire inquiries such as the NSW Bushfire Inquiry (August 2020)
• ongoing industry regulation work by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
• the Australian Government's Mobile Black Spot Program, which is focusing on high-priority natural-disaster-prone areas, lower population density areas and regional transport corridors in its latest funding round (Round 5A).