Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that Vision Australia's radio broadcast is at risk of ending at the end of 2019 due to a lack of funding;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) this organisation is receiving some Government funding, but more is needed to cover running costs; and

(b) 700,000 listeners tune into Vision Australia Radio each year and that there are around 800 volunteers across 10 stations in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and regional Victoria;

(3) recognises that due to changes in the funding received by disability support organisations following the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Vision Australia needs to secure an extra $700,000 per year to ensure the future of the service;

(4) believes the Government can play a vital role in ensuring people with a print disability can remain informed and connected to their local community; and

(5) calls on the Government to provide greater funding support to Vision Australia to continue their radio service.

This is a very important motion. I welcome it being debated today. I welcome the government members and my colleagues who will be contributing to this particular debate and this motion.

The motion speaks for itself. It notes quite clearly that the Vision Australia broadcast is at risk of ending their service at the end of the year due to a lack of funding. This has been brought about because of the NDIS. The previous debate was about the NDIS. We've heard speeches in the parliament today in the 90 second statements about the NDIS. This is another casualty if the federal government does not increase its funding for Vision Australia Radio.

Who are they? They have about 700,000 listeners across Australia. They have 800 volunteers who help deliver local content through 10 stations, based in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and regional Victoria, including my own hometown of Bendigo. This service is vital to people who are vision impaired.

In this motion we also recognise that the changes to the NDIS have made it difficult for this organisation to go forward. Yes, they receive federal government funding. They receive a grant from the government from the communications department to help run the service but it is drastically short.

The rollout of the NDIS has stopped the block grants that they used to receive through various funding sources, whether they be state based or federally based.

There isn't the capacity under the NDIS for individuals to subscribe to Vision Australia to keep part of their package to help support this project going forward. I am pretty sure that most Australians would agree that they weren't aware that one of the unintended consequences of the rollout of the NDIS would see services like Vision Australia cease.

This is an opportunity for the government to step in. It is an opportunity for the government to increase funding to Vision Australia, to this vital service, to ensure that it keeps going.

I acknowledge that we want the states to have a role to play. It's also an opportunity for the government to engage state governments in how they can help support this radio service going forward. Let's not let it be another casualty of the NDIS. Let's fix this by increasing its funding.

Vision Australia have reached out to me and to many here to bring us into the studios to meet the volunteers and to talk to their listeners. It wasn't the first time that I have actually spoken to the listeners through Vision Australia Radio. Having had the opportunity a number of times over the years, I'm always struck by the professionalism and the pride of the volunteers and the fact that they take the time to read out local stories. It is so critical that people in regional areas get to engage with their local stories.

At about one o'clock every day they read out local articles, snippets from the Bendigo Advertiser, helping people who are vision impaired who haven't been able to read the paper that day keep up to date with what's happening. They are also quite often involved in broadcasting or talking about local events to make sure people know what's happening in their town. This is a vital service that helps people with a vision impairment stay connected and stay engaged.

The 800 volunteers, including the 50 in my electorate, really value what they do. This service is reliant upon volunteers. About 15 hours a week are produced locally in Bendigo, and it's about the same for all regional areas. This is the local content. But volunteers alone cannot keep this service going, and Vision Australia have outlined where they need the extra funding. They need extra funding to cover broadcasting infrastructure and network costs. They need extra funding for leasing, building utilities and maintenance. They need extra funding for employee costs. These are the basics that they need to keep the service going.

This is a vital service, and I'm hoping that by bringing this motion to the parliament today to highlight the challenges that they have we can see bipartisanship on this issue. I've reached out to the ministers, both the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts and the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and encouraged them to meet with Vision Australia and to find the funding to fix this gap. I welcome all the contributions that are being made today to show our support for the Vision Australia Radio service.

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