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

Here, again, we have more government rhetoric—more of the government pretending to deliver big, in the critical area of broadcasting and regional media, but doing very little. The Broadcasting Services Amendment (Regional Commercial Radio and Other Measures) Bill 2020 is another of those bills introduced with big fanfare. There was a big press conference. There was big talk. The government said they'd put their arms around regional media, they'd support regional journalists, and that this bill would deliver lasting reform.

Instead, what we have in this bill that is before us is housekeeping—when major reform is needed. I say that as a regional MP and one who is deeply respectful of my local regional media. We have many outlets in my electorate which deliver the local news and the local content for many demographics. I am proud to say that, despite all the challenges that regional media have had recently, we've been able to hang on to so many of our regional media services. But we have lost a few.

Only a few weeks ago we lost the brekkie team at hit91.9 Bendigo. Their target audience was a younger demographic in the Bendigo region, and I know that they'll be sorely missed. It wasn't that long ago that we also lost the Bendigo Weekly, a popular weekly newspaper that went into every household in Greater Bendigo. Over 34,000 households received this news. When the paper finished it was purchased by the Bendigo Advertiser and stopped being free, and I spoke publicly about how disappointed I was that so many households in Bendigo would now not have access to free print media.

But whilst we've lost a few papers and a few radio breakfast shows we have been able to hang on to many. When I spoke to regional media about this bill and about why they believe they've been able to hang on when so many others haven't, they said it is because they've had the backing of so many businesses locally. Despite the tough times in the area of the Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander shire, those businesses have continued to support their local papers: the Midland Express and the Castlemaine Mail. I'm really proud to be not just one of the advertisers in these papers but also a contributor. Why do I advertise in these papers? Like so many local MPs I know the importance of these advertising dollars to keeping these papers afloat. I also believe it's important that my constituents know where they can contact my office. Much of the media that regional MPs have in these local papers is bipartisan and apolitical. It's more about representations and supporting the local community.

One of the issues that regional media constantly raise with me, particularly the smaller independent media, is the fact that they don't get access to federal government dollars for advertising. I would have thought that with the coronavirus outbreak and the government so desperate and keen for people to adopt and download the COVID-19 app it would actually have called upon some of our smaller independent media to spread some of the advertising dollars further. The good news is that some of these papers did receive quite substantial support from the state government. It's a win-win when federal and state governments advertise with local papers; it secures these papers and supports journalists' jobs, and also spreads an important government message. These are just some of the critical things that our local media do.

We always talk about how important the ABC is in times of emergency, particularly in the regions. We've had one of the worst summers on record and there is already talk that this summit could be just as bad. I know, like so many, that my family will be listening to the ABC continually to make sure that we are up-to-date and hoping, with our fingers crossed, that we don't have a fire break out near us. The ABC doesn't just report the news. In times of emergency it also saves lives. It is critical to our regions. It's so disappointing that, whilst not part of this bill, in other actions this government has continued to attack the ABC over and over again, whether it be through freezing their increases or cutting funding. Throughout the government's seven years it has made it very hard for the ABC to continue in their current format. That has a huge impact on the regions.

In the government's attempt to support commercial radio they have failed to do something. Whilst they've allowed for greater flexibility they haven't actually listened to the concerns that are being raised. One of the reasons why regional media are calling for greater flexibility is because they haven't actually had the support required from the government to keep people employed in the regions so that they can continue to deliver local content.

You could see a mile away that the COVID-19 global pandemic was going to mean a hit on advertising, yet we've seen this government being slow to act to get in there and support local media. As a result, we've seen far too many newspapers close and far too many radio stations having to cut back or end services, and these are the commercial print and radio services. Whilst we mourn losing Hit FM, we are now getting the Melbourne version. I do acknowledge the other commercial radio stations in my electorate, which continue to deliver local stories and local content. We have Gold FM. We have Triple M, which used to be 3BO—and I'd be in trouble if I did not mention its original name, 3BO. We also have many community based/commercial stations—they are a bit of a mix of the two—whether it be Phoenix FM, Main FM or Highlands FM. They are all contributing to telling our local story.

One of the reasons why regional media is so critical is to tell that local story. People in our town care about what the footy results were on the weekend. They care about what the weather is going to be. They even have a laugh when they do a traffic report and the report is simply: 'There are no delays in Bendigo. Isn't it great to live in a town where you're five minutes from work?' We understand that in metro they may not get the same broadcast, but it's that tongue in cheek that we get locally that people really appreciate. Local stories matter, and what worries me is that, on this government's watch, we've lost far too much of our capability of recording and telling those local stories. In parts of Queensland, parts of WA and parts of regional New South Wales they've lost so much of their regional media that they look to places like Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong in envy—we still have a number of regional outlets able to tell a local story.

I'd like to acknowledge the great work done by both Nine and WIN, two of our commercial TV stations who still have an evening bulletin. Whilst they're not always as kind to me as I would like, they do tell the local story and ask the local questions. I'd like to acknowledge the great work of the Midland Express, the Castlemaine Mail, the Tarrangower Times, the McIvor Times, the Bendigo Advertiser, to name just a few of the local papers we still have active in our area, and I hope they are here for many generations to come.

What is so heartbreaking about what has happened in our regional media in the past 12 months alone is that we are losing mastheads that have existed in this country for over a century. And, whilst we still have the Bendigo Advertiser, which is one of the oldest papers in Australia, I know that many other regional towns and regional cities do not share the same fortune. It is disappointing and heartbreaking to see that those towns will not have access to the same local stories, but times are tough, and we all know it. Yet all we get from this government is more window-dressing. All we get from this government is a bill that's inadequate, that merely has a few provisions around broadcasting. It is not a holistic, strategic package. It is not a partnership. It is not a framework of reform that will deliver real outcomes to secure regional media, ensure that we are recording our local stories for generations to come and ensure we're keeping regional people informed.

I've lost count of the number of students that have contacted me to say that they've read an article about a former federal member for Bendigo and wanted to get comment for their school assignments or their university assignments. They've trawled back through old editions of the Bendigo Advertiser and want to know whether an issue is relevant today. Unfortunately, a lot are. We are still having a debate about whether a government should intervene to save manufacturing jobs. We are still in a fight to ensure that the government is doing its fair share when it comes to the environment and landcare. We are still in a fight to ensure that citizens in this country all have equal rights. Bendigo is an old town, a town that was part of the early days of Federation, and we're still having a debate in this country about what it means to be a citizen. But that's part of the importance of our regional media. Today, it may be news; tomorrow, it is history. It's an important record for all of us—telling our local story—and this is an area that I'm very concerned about. It isn't just our news which is part of recording and telling our local story. It also comes down to the more fictional side of things. I am proud that, in my electorate, the town of Castlemaine has hosted and been the backdrop for three series of Glitcha very popular TV program that was filmed in the regions. It generated lots of local jobs and lots of income for the local economy.

It's disappointing that, under this government, we've also seen a slashing of funding towards this sector. Instead, this government has prioritised other industries or other parts of the sector, prioritising big-budget overseas Hollywood films to be filmed on the Gold Coast as opposed to supporting local artists, local scriptwriters, local stories, local producers and local actors to tell a version of a local story. Why does it have to be one or the other, and why can't it be both? Undervalued is the creative economy. Under-represented is the creative economy. It's an opportunity for all of us to invest now and into the future.

Right now, we are going through an unprecedented time, and, in many years to come, people will look back and want to know what the story is. And whilst I can be confident that, in my part of the world, we have had independent journalists reporting on how Bendigo has reacted, how my region has reacted and where people can get support, I know it's not the same for others. It's very hard to inform people about where the local testing clinic is if you don't have a local radio station, if you don't have local media. It's very hard to talk about the differences or the extra support an area may need, compared to metro, if you don't have access to that local media.

We're politicians and we're representatives—we know that if we want to communicate a message, we need to have that independent media there to help tell our story. I can safely say that I probably wouldn't be the federal member for Bendigo if we didn't have such a strong, independent media team in my part of the world, who were willing to ask and tell the story. When you have big money from those opposite, expensive campaigns and friends like Clive Palmer that come in over the top, it can be hard to get a local message out. It is critical, therefore, to our democracy that we have a strong regional media network—a network that is willing and able and wanting to tell the local story and to ask the hard questions.

I'm quite surprised that those opposite aren't more concerned about this, that they're quite comfortable with metro coming into their regions and telling Melbourne's stories, Adelaide's stories or Sydney's stories and that they're quite comfortable for big money to come in and misconstrue messages, to confuse electorates and to put out misinformation, like the money we saw from Clive Palmer at the last election—just to name one of many. Regional media is critical, particularly at a time when Facebook and other social media forums have such misinformation. Regional media is also key to helping to neutralise the misinformation that may be appearing en masse in social media.

That's a debate for another day and another area where this government is failing to actually reform. This bill is inadequate. It simply tinkers with a few provisions and doesn't deliver a strategic plan. Whilst our regional media is struggling, it isn't its fault that it's failing. It's the failure of this government to stand up and do more. I call upon the government to do something meaningful for regional media, not just do the window-dressing whilst we see the doors close on so many outlets. (Time expired)

(Quorum formed)

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