John Forrest (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise with seven days to go to the switch-off of analog television out of Mildura at the transmitter at Yatpool. This time next Wednesday the analog signal out of Yatpool will be no more. It has been a fairly tumultuous journey getting to where we are today, but I am pleased to say that tonight a repeater transmitter will be transmitting out of Robinvale, which is an issue that I drew to the minister’s attention before Christmas. Last week we had repeater transmitters installed at Walpeup, which gets to the Mallee Highway, and there is now a third repeater at Ouyen. We are getting satisfactory outcomes out of them. I was advised this morning that the rollout of satellite to the more isolated sites is continuing, to the satisfaction of the retailers.

I intend to be present with the minister, the Hon. Stephen Conroy, on Wednesday, when there is going to be a symbolic flicking of the switch. I want to take this opportunity, as the last opportunity in this place, to make a plea to my constituents: if you have put it off, the minister is serious. Even though I have been asking him to consider perhaps a couple of weeks delay, he has decided he does not want to do that. If you have not converted to digital by now, on nine o’clock next Wednesday morning your analog signal will be no more.

My constituents are fascinating. I have checked the Australian Football League’s draw for the weekend of 2 July. Port Adelaide are playing Collingwood. I know the minister is an avid Collingwood supporter. On 3 July my team, Geelong, and Hawthorn will be beating it out, as well as West Coast Eagles and Adelaide, Brisbane Lions and St Kilda, and Richmond and Fremantle. On 4 July it will be Melbourne and Essendon, and Carlton and the Western Bulldogs. The one thing I have learnt is that this is the signal that my constituents want to see the most. It has been a fascinating journey for me over the last 16 years to get AFL football broadcast out of Mildura. The high concentration of desktop boxes is one of the reasons that Mildura has been chosen as the site for the first conversion. It was already 75 per cent before the program towards switch-off started. The reason for that is that the only way Mildura residents have been able to get their football broadcast has been through a combined signal with WIN Television and Prime Television, jointly owned.

One last reminder, constituents: if you have not gone to see a technician or a retailer for your set-top box or your new digital television, you have only got seven more days to do it. Otherwise, you will not be able to watch your football over the weekend of 2 July. (Time expired)