Cobar Shire councillors have backed a call from Cr Wayne Phillips who says mobile phone reception is a disaster near his town.

A motion was unanimous at yesterday's meeting (Thursday 28 August) for the Cobar council to begin a campaign to lobby Federal and State politicians for action.

It will also seek support from the Far North West Joint Regional Organisation of Councils.

Councillor Phillips says the community are fed up.

‘’It's disgusting on the Louth Road and 6 kms from Cobar near Mount Hope there is no way of calling anyone in an emergency.

"Many people have talked to me about it.’’

He cites a personal experience coming back from his property at Louth.

‘’I had to walk 30 kms to get reception after my car broke down and there were no trucks or cars on the road to even pick me up,’’ he said.

Cr Phillips wants other small councils to back his call and, in the meantime, will be exploring an additional local tower.

"I know the rental on a tower would be expensive but I would be prepared to give Telstra free rental if they put it on my place at Louth.’’

Landscape near Mount Hope. [IMAGE: Mount Hope Mining]

Councillors said at Thursday night's meeting it was a matter of safety for their community and in emergency situations mobile reception was critical.

Federal MP for Parkes Jamie Chaffey has told the Western App this remains a major concern for his electorate.

''Poor or non-existent mobile coverage has unfortunately become an even more critical issue across regional areas since the 3G network was switched off in 2024.

"There are vast areas of the Parkes electorate that struggle with mobile reception.

"This makes it difficult to do business and earn an income but, even more importantly, it can be a life-or-death factor in a serious incident.

"If there is no reception at home or in the paddock, how do you call for help?

"Unfortunately, the latest round of the Mobile Black Spot Program closed in April, so that is unlikely to be of assistance.

"The Albanese Government has not made communications for regional people – often the people who need it most – a priority. Our people in Parkes deserve better,'' Mr Chaffey said.

Improvement expected in Gilgandra

Communication within Gilgandra took a step forward last week with councillors approving the development application for a Telstra tower at 76 Wamboin Street.

The development is in recognition of the need to improve coverage and capacity of the Telstra network, with recent community representation to both Council and Telstra advocating for this response.

Gilgandra Council says they have considered the concerns raised in the one objection received as part of the Development Application (DA) assessment, with the DA advertised broadly through various channels for anyone wanting to make submission.

“Council has balanced the objection with the general community benefit and outcomes anticipated from the proposed development, noting the apparent broader community acceptance and expectation for it to proceed," said General Manager, David Neeves.

"The Telstra mobile coverage in Gilgandra is abysmal and we commend Telstra for taking this positive action to fix the problem.”