Overview

• Telstra has applied to the National Trust to heritage list phone boxes in Brunswick West, Narooma, and Doomadgee, citing their cultural and social significance.
• The Brunswick West phone box has recorded the most calls to crisis support lines in Australia since public calls were made free in 2021.
• During the 2019-20 Black Summer fires, the Narooma phone box was the only communication link for residents after power and mobile networks failed.
• In Doomadgee, a remote Indigenous community, the phone box facilitated roughly one call per resident last year, underscoring its importance in isolated areas.
• If approved, the heritage listing would carry no legal protections but could influence broader heritage recognition and raise public awareness of their value.