Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank members for their contributions to this debate; it is a valuable piece of legislation. I thank those opposite for recognising that the Communications Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2008 is a common-sense amendment that will improve the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. I welcome the support expressed by those opposite for the community broadcasting sector, which contributes so much to our Australian broadcasting culture.

The bill is a significant step forward, providing the Australian Communications and Media Authority with the discretion to consider, up until the expiry date of the licence, late applications for the renewal of community based broadcasting licences. Without the amendment, there is the real possibility that good community broadcasting stations which provide a valuable public service could unreasonably lose their licences. It is the primary purpose of these amendments to avoid the situation where a community broadcaster providing a valuable public service loses its licence as a result of a late application, where the broadcaster can show good reasons why that application is late. The amendments recognise that many community broadcasters have limited administrative resources. However, it is not expected that the acceptance of late applications will be standard practice; instead, it is expected that ACMA’s discretion to accept late applications would only be exercised in exceptional circumstances. This bill demonstrates the government’s commitment to community broadcasting as an essential component of Australian broadcasting.

I note that the shadow minister for communications has mentioned the situation faced by Channel 31 in Perth. Channel 31 is an outstanding part of our broadcasting community in Perth. Over the last few weeks, I have had extensive discussions with Channel 31 about the situation it faces. What I have learned is as follows: the situation that Channel 31 faces, which is dire, is a situation that has been in the making for the past few years. On the one hand, we hear of the representations made to the shadow minister on behalf of Channel 31 by coalition senators, but in reality what we know is that Channel 31 was left in the lurch by the former government through funding shortfalls and decisions—and a lack of decisions—which have created a critical situation for that broadcaster in Perth. That broadcaster has tremendous support from not just young people who are interested in the media, interested in broadcasting and interested in careers in television or radio and cut their teeth in community broadcasting but also community organisations, which can get some exposure of their issues and have light shone on them.

The Australian government is working on a pathway to digital broadcasting for community TV. I will stress again that it is a little disingenuous for the shadow minister to cry crocodile tears for community TV when the former government left it in the lurch. It is significant that this bill has such support from both sides of the House. It is common sense, practical and pragmatic. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that the bill be reported to the House without amendment.

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