Response to Vodafone’s Advertising Campaign March 2026

“...Clearly nothing’s out here...”

That’s the line from Vodafone, and it tells you everything you need to know.

Because when a national telco looks at remote Australia and sees “nothing,” what they are really revealing is not a lack of customer demand, but a lack of provider capability.

Around 2.5% of Australians live in remote and very remote areas. Small in population, yes, but enormous in significance. These are the regions that sustain the country. Mining, agriculture and tourism all significantly contribute to Australia's GDP. These industries do not exist in metropolitan boardrooms. They operate on remote land, often on Aboriginal land, and they underpin the national economy.

It is also in these regions that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities live, communities central to the national commitment to Closing the Gap. Closing the Gap is not symbolic. It is a measurable commitment to equity in health, education, employment, and access to essential services. Every one of these relies on connectivity. No signal means no telehealth, mental health or emergency response. No signal means no education access. No signal means limited economic participation.

So when Vodafone suggests there is “no point” in servicing remote Australia, it is effectively dismissing the infrastructure required to meet national obligations, equity and basic human rights.

This is not about there being “nothing out there.” It is about Vodafone not having, or not investing in, the technology and infrastructure required to deliver a reliable service in remote Australia. Instead of owning that limitation, the narrative is flipped. It is not their network gaps or coverage limitations. It is the people and where they live. That is not just wrong. It is deflection.

Providing telecommunications in remote Australia is difficult. It requires investment, innovation, and long-term commitment. But rather than acknowledge “we are not there yet,” this campaign lands on a far more concerning message. That there is no value in trying.

We understand this advert is trying to be funny. Tongue in cheek. Playful. But it misses badly. When the punchline is that remote Australia is “nothing,” it stops being humour and starts being harmful.

It shows a lack of understanding of Australia, a lack of understanding of basic human rights, and a lack of understanding of national priorities. More concerningly, it sends a dangerous signal to urban-based policymakers and service providers that Indigenous people and those working in primary production are somehow invisible, or not worth resourcing to meet even their most basic needs. That is not a joke. That is a narrative with real consequences.

And then, to underline how disconnected this campaign is, the advert includes a tongue-in-cheek line about not even knowing what an emu is. The emu is a national icon, featured on the Australian Coat of Arms, hardly an obscure, endangered, little-known species.

What we are left with is a company that does not understand remote Australia, does not understand its people, and does not understand its responsibility. At a basic level, it raises a bigger question. If you cannot recognise the value of the people, places, and symbols that define this country, do you understand what an Australian actually is?