BATEMANS Bay Chamber of Commerce is determined to keep circulating a petition calling for a solution to the shire’s telecommunications meltdown during the summer holidays.
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The influx of tourists during the holidays caused phone problems that were felt across the shire. Internet and phone services were limited and businesses were severely affected.
Chamber president Natasha Driscoll encouraged business owners at last week’s meeting to continue gathering signatures to call on the local, state and federal governments and telcos to fix the problem.
“It’s really crucial, the more signatures we get the more we’re going to sound like a loud voice,” she said.
“This is not a matter that’s going to go away.
“Next year, it’s going to be bigger. We need more infrastructure and we need a fix.”
Meanwhile, Small Biz Connect south-east representative Ian Meginn suggested the Chamber take its petition to the NSW Small Business Commissioner and its advocacy office for more assistance.
Moruya and Narooma Chambers have thrown their support behind the petition.
“I think we should get all three Chambers working together on this – it is a South Coast problem,” Moruya Chamber vice-president Tubby Harrison said.
Eurobodalla Tourism’s Kerrie-Anne Benton said it wasn’t just business that suffered.
“Our guests are also disadvantaged,” she said. “We have a peak demand issue.”
Gold Rush Colony’s Maureen Nathan said a lot of people left the area because they couldn’t continue operating their business from here because of the lack of internet service.
She said the adverse publicity about the problem made the shire look like a bad place to holiday.
Ms Driscoll asked what would have happened if there was a medical crisis. She asked for members to think about how the meltdown affected them personally and, more importantly, urged them to “put it in writing”.