Mobile Network Operators have called into question comments made by the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud, after the Minister laid the blame squarely with industry for the Governments lack of new funding for mobile black spots in the Federal Budget.

The Minister said that CEOs admitted to me that they dont see any viability in them going into another round they dont want to come and put their money on the table.

Yet, it has been revealed all three MNOs are supportive of continuing the program, with Vodafone explicitly refuting the Ministers claim.[Communications Day, 21 May 2018]

The Governments regional MPs must accept it was the Governments decision to abandon further rounds of the program and stop blaming Mobile Network Operators.

The message regional Australians can take away from the Federal Budget is that its all gotten too hard for the Liberal and National parties who appear to have given up on improving outcomes in regional communications.

Its clear that with over 10,000 locations on the national mobile black spot register, the job is not yet done. The Government cannot blame others for their own failures.