Brushes with death in the bush as digital gap persists

Towns have been left without power and mobile service during major disasters, with an independent review urging the government to bolster rural connectivity.

The aftermath of a wild storm was like something from a disaster movie, with huge eucalypt trees strewn across battered roads and residents left in the dark.

The wild weather, described as a mini tornado, struck Victoria's Gippsland region in February, killing one farmer in Mirboo North.

Widespread power and telecommunications outages left many people adrift, including a vision-impaired person who was isolated for four days.

That's a Kongwak resident's account of the disaster shared with the federal government's Regional Telecommunications Review committee, pleading for stronger communications and power back-ups during emergencies.

"We are certainly aware of other near misses arising from the tornado and are surprised that there was only one death," the resident wrote.

The independent committee handed its report to the government on Friday, finding that while broadband services have improved in the bush, a digital divide remains.

It is most pronounced in rural areas and particularly in small First Nations communities, where telecommunications are not always available, reliable or affordable.

"Access to dependable telecommunications is not a luxury but a necessity," the report said.

"However, despite considerable investments and technological advancements, significant disparities and a lack of awareness of available options remain, leaving some communities at a disadvantage."

The national review, which occurs every three years to investigate the depth of telecommunications disparities, received 3404 submissions.

That represented a four-fold increase on the number of submissions to the 2021 review.

It heard of a woman in Western Australia who had to leave her dying husband and walk outside to connect to triple-zero and a critically-ill man who had to go out on his verandah to reach the emergency line.

Others told of injured people unable to get medical help in remote areas, a retirement village with 300 residents without adequate reception and a chronically-ill woman's battle with Telstra to maintain a functioning landline.

The committee said disaster resilience was one of the most pressing issues.

Among its 14 recommendations were mandates on power back-ups and the expansion of community connectivity hubs, equipped with satellite WiFi and independent power sources.

Stronger consumer protections, improving affordability through low-cost plans in remote communities and expanded digital literacy programs were also proposed.

The government was urged to fast-track its modernisation of the Universal Service Obligation - which ensures all Australians have access to a landline or a payphone - to focus on voice-capable broadband services.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said every Australian deserved access to fast, reliable and affordable connectivity.

"We know many rural, regional, remote and First Nations communities face connectivity challenges their city counterparts do not," Ms Rowland said in a statement.