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| Queensland Government Radio Network | |
|---|---|
| Name | Queensland Government Radio Network |
| Jurisdiction | Queensland |
| Headquarters | Brisbane |
| Agency type | Radio communication network |
Queensland Government Radio Network is a state-operated trunked radio and digital communications system serving agencies across Queensland including emergency services, statutory authorities, and critical infrastructure providers. It integrates radio sites, microwave links, and dispatch centres to provide interoperable voice and data connectivity for organisations such as the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, and other statutory bodies. The network evolved through partnerships with telecommunications vendors and was influenced by national initiatives from agencies like the Australian Communications and Media Authority and standards promoted by Standards Australia.
The network's origins trace to analogue trunked projects in the late 20th century involving municipal radio users, regional councils such as the Shire of Cook and metropolitan authorities in Brisbane City, and earlier utilities like the erstwhile Queensland Rail communications teams. Major milestones include migration from UHF analogue systems to digital trunking influenced by technologies from vendors used by the New South Wales Police Force and procurement frameworks aligned with the Queensland Procurement Policy. National interoperability drivers included lessons from the Black Saturday bushfires, the 2010–11 Queensland floods, and reviews commissioned by the Inspector-General Emergency Management and the Council of Australian Governments.
Procurements saw involvement from multinational suppliers that have supplied systems for the Victoria Police, South Australia Police, and other Australasian emergency networks, with technical inputs from consultants who worked on projects for the Australian Defence Force and the Department of Home Affairs. Funding and governance adjustments followed parliamentary scrutiny in the Parliament of Queensland and oversight by ministerial portfolios including the Minister for Police and Corrective Services and the Minister for Fire and Emergency Services.
The architecture is a multi-site, trunked radio network using standards and vendor implementations comparable to Project 25 (P25) and digital mobile radio approaches adopted by agencies such as the New Zealand Police and the Western Australia Police Force. Core components include site controllers, base stations, network management servers, and microwave backhaul equipment similar to deployments by Telstra and other carriers. The system supports both narrowband voice and data services, with integration options for AVL from providers used by AusRAP projects, and interfaces to computer-aided dispatch systems employed by the Queensland Ambulance Service and State Emergency Service.
Redundancy is provided through geographically diverse switching centres, database replication technologies like those used in mission-critical systems at the Australian Securities Exchange, and secure VPN/MPLS circuits comparable to configurations in the Department of Defence networks. Radio terminals include portable handsets and vehicle-mounted units from commercial manufacturers adopted by the Queensland Corrective Services fleet and transport operators such as Sunshine Coast Council vehicle fleets.
Coverage spans metropolitan hubs including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville, and remote regions such as the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait Islands. Site selection considered terrain models used in projects for the Bureau of Meteorology and tower locations shared with broadcasters like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and commercial operators. Infrastructure comprises towers, shelters, diesel or solar backup power systems used in remote Australian Broadcasting Corporation transmitter sites, fiber and microwave links similar to those deployed by NBN Co and private carriers, and leased facilities on land managed by entities such as the Department of Resources.
Interconnections provide roaming and mutual aid arrangements with neighbouring jurisdictions including New South Wales, Northern Territory, and national mutual assistance bodies like the Australian Border Force. Coverage testing and acceptance trials drew on methodologies from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and radio propagation analyses from consultants experienced with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Primary services include encrypted voice push-to-talk, group and private calls, emergency alerting comparable to protocols used by the National Emergency Warning System, and data messaging for logistics and status reporting used by agencies such as Queensland Health. The network enables computer-aided dispatch integration for the Queensland Ambulance Service, situational awareness mapping used by Rural Fire Service counterparts, and sensor telemetry for assets managed by organisations like Energy Queensland.
Applications extend to search and rescue coordination with units associated with the Royal Australian Air Force and volunteer organisations such as the State Emergency Service (Queensland), fleet management for public transport providers including Queensland Rail and local council fleets, and interoperability with maritime safety services including the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
Governance structures involve agreements between departmental custodians such as the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy, statutory agencies like the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, and independent oversight from audit bodies including the Queensland Audit Office. Management encompasses service level agreements, maintenance contracts awarded through Queensland procurement panels, and technical governance guided by standards from Standards Australia and regulatory compliance with the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Operational management includes regional dispatch centres coordinated with state emergency management arrangements administered by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority during disasters, and workforce roles occupied by professionals drawn from organisations such as the Queensland Police Service communications branch and private contractors experienced in critical communications for the Australian Defence Force.
Security measures include encryption algorithms consistent with requirements for public safety networks used by the Victoria State Emergency Service and access controls aligned with frameworks from the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Reliability is achieved through diverse power resilience strategies used in remote Bureau of Meteorology sites, hot-standby switching, and contingency roaming with commercial carriers like Telstra. Resilience planning incorporates lessons from events involving the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and state disaster responses such as post-Cyclone Yasi recovery operations.
Business continuity and incident response procedures are coordinated with agencies like the State Disaster Coordination Centre and informed by standards used by the Australian Energy Market Operator for critical infrastructure protection. Regular exercises mirror interoperability drills conducted with the Australian Federal Police and interstate emergency services.
The network has been pivotal in major events including flood and cyclone responses similar to operations during the 2010–11 Queensland floods and Cyclone Larry relief efforts, facilitating coordination among the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Ambulance Service, and volunteer groups such as the St John Ambulance Australia. Notable operational use included statewide search operations that coordinated assets from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and air support from the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.
Technical incidents have prompted reviews by parliamentary committees in the Parliament of Queensland and operational audits by the Queensland Audit Office, leading to upgrades mirroring national modernization seen in systems adopted by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and improvements to mutual aid procedures with neighbouring jurisdictions like New South Wales.
Category:Communications in Queensland