Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has been a tough period for many of our residents, farmers and businesses within the Ipswich and Somerset regions as we have come to grips with the repeated devastation caused by flooding in 2011 and 2013. Tonight I wish to give praise to our local commercial radio station, River 94.9 FM, for its commitment to Ipswich and Somerset region communities and those beyond during these stressful events. We are very lucky to have a unique broadcasting philosophy of community commitment by River 94.9.

Historically, Ipswich has been the centre of broadcasting excellence. In 1935, 4IP was granted a commercial licence to serve the then town, and in the mid 1960s it became Colour Radio 4IP, which excited listeners with its progressive programming and community involvement. In 1974 it became the community voice during the terrible flooding that covered much of Ipswich, Brisbane and surrounds and shortly after became the No. 1 radio station in South-East Queensland. Sadly, 4IP relocated its studios to Brisbane and moved its transmitter out of Ipswich, effectively leaving our local community without a radio station until 1990, when a group of local businesspeople applied for and received an FM commercial radio licence for the Ipswich, Lockyer, Somerset and Scenic Rim areas. It was opened as QFM by the then Governor-General, Bill Hayden—who, incidentally, remains a resident of Blair. The radio station, under various owners and management, had mixed fortunes for some 20 years against competition from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Toowoomba radio stations.

In 2000, Star FM, as it was then known, underwent another name change, to River. It changed its broadcasting frequency and transmission facilities to become River 94.9. This led to River 94.9 having a clear signal across our entire area—in Logan and Lockyer, into Toowoomba, up north into the Somerset and across a big portion of Brisbane's south and south-west, including Ipswich.

Today we are very fortunate to have a private ownership of that radio station which gives us live delivery of programs, a local voice and a caring for the community like no other. Given the vastness of Queensland and the remoteness and isolation of some areas, reliance on radio as a form of communication has always been vital. It is these regional commercial radio stations that work to reflect local interests and create close relationships with local newspapers and television channels.

Radio, particularly in regional areas, remains a vital source of information and entertainment for Queenslanders. River 94.9 is owned by Grant Broadcasters—the Cameron family, who own a considerable number of commercial radio stations across Australia. Their commitment to localism at all of their stations is to be commended and in relation to River 94.9 the staff worked live through both weather events in 2011 and 2013 to get out vital information to assist flood-affected communities. In addition, with limited staff they kept their emergency website and Facebook communications on the go, adding to their reputation of the radio station as the place to go to when things get tough. Some 78,000 people visited the River 94.9 website at the height of the recent disasters, and a further 37,170 people involved themselves on the River 94.9 Facebook page and then shared the information they found with 442,592 of their friends.

In 2011, I recall people huddling around radios at the Ipswich evacuation centre, not watching commercial television but listening to River 94.9 for local news and information about towns, rivers and creeks, flood levels and flood damages, warnings and warm stories about human empathy and decency. River 94.9 staff, cut off from their homes, slept at the station and worked around the clock disseminating much-needed news, personal cries for assistance and offers for help. In 2013, River 94.9 repeated the effort.

I pay tribute to a number of people particularly on behalf of the people of Blair: my friend David Greenwood, General Manager of River 94.9; Keith Evan, an engineer who worked around the clock in 2011 in most hazardous conditions and in recent events as well; David Greensmith, breakfast presenter; Aaron Stevens, program director; Daniel Thomas, music director; Tania Scherf, journalist and news presenter; Graham Snow—commonly known as 'Snowy' to everyone—journalist and news presenter; and my friend Ashleigh Mac, afternoon presenter.

On behalf of the people of Blair I thank them for the work they have done. I thank the whole of the staff particularly. River 94.9, over recent years, has showed tremendous loyalty to our community. To the credit of River 94.9 it commands the majority of the demographic across south-east Queensland outside Brisbane. I thank them for what they have done each and every day during the recent floods. (Time expired)