The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee conducting the Regional Telecommunications Review. The Review is an opportunity for people living and working in regional, rural and remote Australia to share their views and experiences using telecommunications services. The NFF’s submission highlights stories from three farmers – Daniel Keam, Wendy Hick and John Shaw – to illustrate the complex and compounding connectivity challenges facing Australian farmers and their families living in regional, rural and remote areas.
Interviewee: Daniel Keam, Warracknabeal VIC I GrainGrowers National Policy Council
In a wheatbelt town in rural Victoria, Daniel Keam faces a paradox that many city dwellers might find hard to grasp. From his kitchen window, he can see the phone tower. Yet, reliable connectivity remains a constant challenge. This modern lifeline, essential for his farm business and family, flickers unpredictably like a faltering beacon in the distance.
“I can see the phone tower from home, less than a kilometre away. It’s like someone is turning the dial up and down; one day we have really good reception and for the next two weeks we have just average reception,” says Daniel.

Importance of connectivity for farm business
Daniel runs a 2600 ha mixed farm business, comprising of oilseeds, cereals, legumes and fat lamb production. Like many other farm businesses, he relies heavily on reliable internet connectivity; internet banking has replaced cheque books, and farm machinery relies on GPS connectivity to monitor and control.
“All our machinery runs through GPS. We can tap on the phone and actually see what our tractor or harvester is doing whether it’s 20 or 30 kilometres away or even if I was overseas. We can’t run the business without good connectivity.”
This dependency extends to every aspect of the farm. From managing crops with precision farming techniques to ensuring the machinery operates efficiently, connectivity is as vital as the rain that nourishes the soil. However, the inconsistency in service can disrupt operations and increase stress levels, highlighting the gap between the rural and urban digital divide.

A lifeline for families
For Daniel’s wife and three kids, the stakes of reliable internet are just as high.
The local high school struggles with a severe shortage of teachers, forcing Daniel and his wife to send their eldest child to boarding school.
“We’ve got subjects where the kids are missing out on two or three classes a week if not more,” Daniel shares, his voice tinged with frustration.
“We’ve had to take a little bit on our own back with education for our two youngest. We’ve downloaded extra programs for the kids on their iPads for some extra learning at home.
“We’re really at rock bottom in our area, especially in the Wimmera. It’s not just our local high school in Warracknabeal, that’s struggling, there’s other schools in the area that are struggling for teachers.
“The oldest is really enjoying boarding school but at the same time you can see where the private schools are very well resourced; his academic scores are really, really good.”
The family also rely on good connectivity to access telehealth services for their middle child.
“Our middle child has ADHD, and we use telehealth to connect with his pediatrician and other specialists. During COVID, good connectivity was crucial for talking to his pediatrician and other specialists.”
Daniel says By FIVE plays an instrumental role in how families across the Wimmera Southern Mallee region access specialist care through telehealth.
Daniel’s wife Karen runs her own rural advertising agency from home. For her, stable and fast internet is non-negotiable.
“Thank God for Elon Musk and Starlink,” Daniel says with a sense of relief. “We would have terrible internet without it. Starlink has been a godsend for us, allowing my wife to work from home efficiently.”
Living approximately 20 kilometers from Warracknabeal and 45 kilometers north of Horsham, connectivity is essential for both the farm and the home business. It saves travel time, allows for more efficient work, and lets the family focus on what truly matters.
A struggle for consistent connectivity
Daniel’s property experiences what he calls ‘salt and pepper connectivity’.
“We can drive to one corner of a paddock and have reception, then move to the other side and it’s gone. All I’ve done is drive a kilometre across from one corner to the other. You can still see the tower, but the reception varies like someone’s turning a dial up and down.”
This inconsistency isn’t just frustrating; it can be dangerous.
“There are plenty of times when calls have dropped out. Depending on where you are on the farm, if you’re standing behind something or under something, the signal just gets blocked.”

The proposed shutdown of the 3G Network
With the proposed shutdown of the 3G network, concerns grow.
“We’ve had to update a few weather stations around the farm because they were on the 3G network. It makes no sense to change something that’s still working. It comes back to that old adage, ‘If it ain’t broke, why fix it.’”
For many in regional areas, the transition to newer networks feels like another hurdle to jump, especially when the existing systems work adequately. The constant need for upgrades and adaptations can feel overwhelming, adding to the list of challenges that regional Australians face daily.
Blackspots a matter of life and death
The importance of reliable connectivity becomes starkly evident in emergencies. Daniel recalls an incident at a local football match this year where a player was injured and the struggle to connect a triple zero call. Officials had to move away from the ground to find a signal, highlighting the concerning issue of connectivity blackspots even in the middle of town.
“They had to run off the oval to get any sort of reception. It was bizarre to have a black spot in the middle of a football ground. We were lucky there were a couple of nurses and off-duty ambulance personnel, but it could have been much worse.”
This scenario underscores a critical issue: the expectation of connectivity is not just a convenience but a necessity.
The forgotten regions
As Daniel continues to navigate the challenges of farming and family life in rural Victoria, his story is a reminder of the disparities between urban and rural Australia.
“There’s a lot of problems in regional Australia. We’ve spoken about education and connectivity, but we could also talk about roads until the cows come home. We’ve become very city-centric, and I don’t hold a lot of faith in our local politicians.”
For Daniel, it’s not just about the struggle for better internet but a call to recognise and address the broader issues faced by regional communities.
Reliable connectivity is more than a convenience; it’s a lifeline that supports education, business, health and safety. As the digital divide continues to widen, stories like Daniel’s highlight the urgent need for equitable infrastructure and services across all of Australia.
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