Independent federal MP for Indi Helen Haines has renewed her call for faster implementation of disaster roaming, and welcomed support from the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) as the bushfire season approaches.

Dr Haines said disaster roaming remains a critical missing piece in Australia’s telecommunications infrastructure.

“I’ve long called for the rollout of disaster roaming because it’s a common-sense reform that will save lives during natural disasters,” she said.

“When bushfires, floods or storms hit, Australians should be able to roam onto any available mobile network to make emergency calls or receive warnings.

"Safety should not depend on which telco you’re with.”

Dr Haines noted that the Senate’s Connecting the Country report, the ACCC’s Regional Mobile Infrastructure Inquiry, and the Bean Review have all recommended the reform, yet it remains undelivered.

“I called on the government in my 2024 Regional Telecommunications Review submission to roll out this capability before the next fire season," she said.

"It’s now late 2025, and regional Australians still do not have it.”

Despite saying it would consider disaster roaming more than two years ago, the government has provided no public update since.

NFF president Hamish McIntyre said disaster roaming was essential to protecting regional communities.

“When natural disasters hit, people shouldn’t lose the ability to communicate just because one mobile network goes down,” he said.

"This can leave entire communities cut off.

“Farmers are often on the frontline of fires, floods and storms and they are critical to local emergency response.

"Communication is key to a fast and effective response.

“We’ve seen the Triple Zero fallback fail in recent outages.

"Strengthening that system is important, but communities also need to reach neighbours, family, and local responders.

“Temporary disaster roaming is a straightforward fix that lets people stay connected when it matters most.”

Dr Haines said the support from the NFF underscores the urgency for federal action.

“Regional Australians deserve nothing less than a telecommunications system that works when they need it most,” she said.