STOP PRESS: Federal MP Helen Haines, arguably the most prominent campaigner in parliament on regional telecommunications issues, has suffered critical injuries after she was struck by a Toyota Landcruiser in what was reportedly a targeted attack. The incident took place outside her Wangaratta electorate office in Indi as she was unpacking her own car and has caused reverberations across the political system. Haines is well regarded for her campaigning for stronger regional mobile coverage and network resilience during disasters.

The terms and conditions accompanying Australian broadband services have ballooned in length over the past two decades, with some now containing almost as many words as a mortgage agreement, despite broadband prices falling by as much as 53% in real terms.

A coalition of major technology companies is urging the Australian Communications and Media Authority to support a significant expansion of radio local area network (RLAN) use, arguing that consumers, businesses and service providers would benefit, including through the expansion of fixed wireless broadband in regional areas.

More than 200,000 Australian IP addresses have been identified in commercial proxy networks that allow paying customers to route Internet traffic through ordinary broadband and mobile connections, raising questions about subscriber awareness and the potential misuse of consumer equipment.