RRRCC says Vodafone campaign misses the mark on regional Australia.
The Rural, Regional and Remote Communications Coalition (RRRCC) says Vodafone Australia’s latest ‘comeback’ advertising campaign, featuring comedian Ali Wong, has missed the mark, describing it as dismissive of the people, industries and communities beyond major cities, and those who rely on and travel through these regions.
The Coalition said any campaign that suggests there is ‘nothing out here’ reflects a metro-centric view of Australia and ignores the reality of life in rural and remote communities, where reliable communications are not a luxury, but an essential service.
Rural and remote Australians are not a fringe audience to be laughed off. Nearly one in three Australians live outside major cities, including around 1.9 per cent in Remote and Very Remote areas, and they make an outsized contribution to the nation’s prosperity.
Rural Australia is publicly credited with generating around 70 to 80 per cent of export income, nearly half of tourism income, and producing around 90 per cent of Australia’s food. Yet these same communities continue to face poorer access to essential services, including communications and health care, and markedly worse health outcomes than their city counterparts.
The RRRCC is calling on the Australian Government to move beyond consultation and into action, strengthening oversight, delivering targeted investment and progressing reform.
National Rural Health Alliance
PO BOX 475, Curtin ACT 2605
Ph 02 6285 4660
www.ruralhealth.org.au
