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The federal government has set aside $8 million for a grants program to improve mobile coverage along highways and major roads in regional Victoria.
The funding is to come from the government’s $50 million Regional Roads Australia Mobile Program (RRAMP), which was announced in January this year to deliver pilot programs. This, in turn, comes from the $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia.
In Victoria, the pilot project looks at parts of the Great Alpine Road, Great Ocean Road and Monaro Highway, focusing on boosting resilience and connectivity during emergencies and natural disasters.
To support this, the federal government is offering $8 million with the Victorian government to design and deliver the pilot through a grants program.
The goal of the program will be to improve road safety, strengthen economic growth, improve social connectivity and support regional development.
Libby Coker, Federal Member for Corangamite – the electorate which contains the start of the Great Ocean Road – said the program complements communication upgrades happening in the area.
“Boosting coverage along the Great Ocean Road will empower locals and visitors to stay safe and connected,” she said.
Additionally, outcomes from the RRAMP will inform the design of a national program to be announced next year.
Meanwhile, applications for the Victorian pilot programs are also expected to open in 2025.
The federal government’s commitment to funding connectivity improvements in regional Victoria comes more than a week after it opened applications for the third round of its Mobile Network Hardening Program, which has a total of $20 million up for grabs.