But for that to happen, the federal government would have to change its Universal Service Obligation, which entitles every Australian to reasonable access to a standard phone service and a payphone, “wherever they work or live.”

Telstra operates more than 17,200 Australian payphones, 52 of which are in the Greater Bendigo region, with 12 sites providing free wifi through the Telstra Air network. 

VFF president Peter Tuohey called for the payphone network to be rationalised and the savings diverted into the mobile black spot program. 

“Ask most Australians when they last used a pay phone and they’d struggle to recall,” he said.

“In fact, there’s probably a whole generation that’s never used one.”

The federal government’s contracts register states Telstra will receive $44 million a year until 2032 to supply, install and maintain public payphones and supply payphone carriage services.

“There’s been an argument that payphones need to be maintained in some areas, as they’ve been used to create Wi-Fi hotspots,” Mr Tuohey said.

“But that doesn’t make sense, especially in urban areas where people are already spoiled for choice when it comes to connectivity.”

He said the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s most recent annual report stated 68.1 per cent of payphones were in urban areas.

Telstra central Victoria and Sunraysia area general manager Steve Tinker said mobile phones had reduced the demand for payphones, but they remained a part of Telstra’s communications network.

“The federal government has asked the Productivity Commission to review the future direction of the USO and Telstra looks forward to contributing to that review,” he said.

The Coalition committed on May 24 to invest an additional $60 million in the Mobile Black Spot Program, bringing its total investment to $220 million.

“We appreciate the Government’s attempt to address the rural telecommunications problem, but the current investment falls well short of what is necessary to provide an adequate mobile phone service for rural customers,” Mr Tuohey said.

He called on all parties running for election on July 2 to “make strong commitments to ridding rural areas of mobile black spots.”

“Rural and regional communities account for seven per cent of Australia’s population, and we need to make sure that they receive the same quality phone service as their metropolitan counterparts,” Mr Tuohey said. 

Telstra is rolling out mobile base stations to 106 black spots in Victoria under round one of the Mobile Black Spot Program.

“In the Greater Bendigo region, there are two blackspot identified locations that have been successful under the first round of funding – Guildford and Pipers Creek,” Mr Tinker said. 

“Planning for these sites are underway and once construction is completed the sites will improve mobile coverage to the area.”

He said Telstra had already delivered new and improved mobile coverage to a number of communities. 

“Additional opportunities are also being investigated by Telstra to connect more Australians under the round two funding allocation,” he said.

The VFF put its suggestion for the funding diversion forward after a survey of 533 farmers last year, which found high cost and poor telecommunications connectivity were stifling farm productivity and educational opportunities of rural families.