What are ACT border residents looking for this federal election?

Australia Broadcast Center

30-04-2025

Communities in the region surrounding Canberra are urging candidates not to forget their specific needs as the federal election approaches.
Despite their proximity to the nation's capital, many residents in these areas continue to report poor internet connectivity and road quality, among other issues with basic services.
In Wamboin, about half an hour's drive from central Canberra, a Communications Action Group has been running for seven years.
Spokesman Glenn Archer said the community felt it was "left in the lurch" with only the Sky Muster service available to access the NBN.
Mr Archer said that connection was unsuitable for anyone trying to work from home.
Spokesman Glenn Archer said the Wamboin community felt it was "left in the lurch" with only the Sky Muster service available for NBN.
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"The latency is such that you can't do video conferencing, you can't use it for any wi-fi calling on your mobile phone," he said.
"Many of the residents here have defaulted to using (SpaceX's) Starlink now, which is a reasonable service, but it does come with much higher costs."
In nearby Bungendore, egg producer Valia Palmer is forced to get her internet from a small, locally-based provider that focuses on wireless coverage.
Ms Palmer's property is atop a hill, and while coverage is generally available, she said it would struggle to support more sophisticated technology.
"We'd like to have more surveillance — the fox around here causes us a lot of problems," she said.
Egg producer Valia Palmer is forced to get her internet from a small, locally-based provider that focuses on wireless coverage.
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"Having more internet would allow us to do things with camera surveillance, even sound surveillance."
Ms Palmer estimated that could improve the business bottom line by 10 to 15 per cent.
Before the election campaign, Labor announced a plan to "finish the NBN" and provide fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) connections to more than 94 per cent of the country's fixed line network.
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But it said some "more complex premises" would need "further design analysis".
Mr Archer said there have been indications that a FTTN connection could be available for Wamboin, but the community is reluctant to get too excited.
"It's hard to believe that we're actually going to see a solution,"
he said.
Both communities are in the electorate of Eden-Monaro, once considered a bellwether seat, which has been held by Labor since 2016, and currently by junior minister Kristy McBain.
Her margin has been cut in the redistribution to an estimated 6.1 per cent, but she is still favoured to win re-election over the Liberal candidate, Jo van der Plaat.
Barton Highway a 'multi-generational battle'
Stephanie Helm described the Barton Highway as "one of the most unsafe roads in the country."
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On the western side of the ACT lies the Barton Highway, which runs between Canberra and Yass, and through the town of Murrumbateman.
Surveys by the NRMA have often ranked it among the worst highways in New South Wales, and with good reason.
Fatalities are all too common, including most recently on Easter Monday, when one man died in a two-car crash.
President of the Murrumbateman Community Association, Stephanie Helm, described it as "one of the most unsafe roads in the country."
"Unfortunately, the sad reality is that if you live in this region, you end up knowing someone that's either been injured or killed on that road,"
she said.
Photo shows
A damaged section of bitumen on the highway.
An old highway joining Yass and Canberra is a daily trial for drivers. Its future may be what swings Eden-Monaro voters.
Efforts are underway duplicate the highway, and a roughly seven-kilometre stretch opened early last year.
The second of five stages is currently in the planning phase, and the federal government committed $25 million for further planning work prior to the campaign.
Ms Helm said while any progress was welcome, the fast population growth in Murrumbateman risked making some planning work obsolete by the time construction got underway.
She said upgrading the highway had become a "multi-generational battle" for her family.
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My dad was campaigning for it in the 90s and here I am still campaigning for it, so I hope my daughter's not doing the same thing when she's my age.
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This part of the capital region has been redistributed into the Nationals electorate of Riverina, held by former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack.
He also served as transport minister under prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison, and two elections ago in 2019, described the upgrade as a "rolling process" the government would work towards "stretch by stretch".
Queanbeyan residents 'can't bear' more health cuts
A Queanbeyan voter said she was concerned about the state of general health services if the Coalition won the election.
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The border town of Queanbeyan could hardly be closer to Canberra, but residents there can tell it is a different part of the world.
Chris Butler said the town has missed out on some of the services available to Canberrans, including mental health support.
"We don't necessarily get access to the ACT services for that," she said.
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We have to go to Goulburn (about an hour's drive away) and that's really quite difficult.
"
Another Queanbeyan voter, Julie Sealy, said she was concerned about the state of general health services if the Coalition won the election.
"I think Liberal will be cutting the health system around, and I just can't bear it being cut more than it is," she said.
Queanbeyan is one of the main population centres in Eden-Monaro, alongside the growing suburbs of Jerrabomberra and Googong.
At the last election, the area produced some of the strongest results for Kristy McBain, with multiple booths recording a Labor two-party preferred vote of more than 70 per cent.