Pat Conroy (Charlton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have received a petition from 155 residents of the suburbs of Mirrabooka, Brightwaters, Bonnells Bay, Windemere Park, Yarrawonga Park, Sunshine and Brighton. This petition has been found in order by the Standing Committee on Petitions and I hereby present the petition to the House.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable The Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives

This petition of certain citizens of South Lake Macquarie draws to the attention of the House to the serious interference with television reception on the Morisset peninsular, namely but not restricted to, the suburbs of Mirrabooka, Brightwaters and Sunshine.

We therefore ask the House to review this situation and urgently undertake any necessary changes which are required for uninterrupted television reception.

from 155 citizens

Petition received.

The petition relates to the digital television reception issues affecting residents of the Morisset Peninsula. These residents tell me they experience simultaneous interference to the digital signals of the ABC, SBS, NBN and Ten during some weather conditions. The signal from Prime is unaffected. I am told this happens frequently, sometimes daily. Understandably, these people are frustrated by the interruption to their television signal, so, in an effort to find a solution, I have already made contact with the Minister for Communications on this matter. The minister advises that the problem is caused by atmospheric ducting in the area, described as interference from signals travelling further than expected which cannot be differentiated from local signals. This affects those viewers who depend on the Mount Sugarloaf signal because they are co-channelled from the high-power transmission site that serves the Illawarra. Prime services are from Mount Sugarloaf and are not affected because they are not co-channelled in this way.

This certainly matches the experience of Mr Kevin Kirk of Mirrabooka, who described to me his frustration at investing time and money in several reception assessments and upgrades to his antenna system, all to no avail. To quote Mr Kirk:

This is the 21st Century and this is Australia, we feel we are entitled to the same uninterrupted television as any other family.

These residents are right to expect decent television reception. Television provides us access to news, current affairs and entertainment. For people who are elderly or isolated, it is particularly important, as free-to-air television remains the most accessible form of telecommunication. And, of course, in regions like the Hunter, we are well served by our regional media broadcasters and have affection for the local content they provide. I do not believe it is reasonable or fair that these residents are forced to invest in a satellite service simply to replace what has been delivered—for free—for nearly half a century.

I call on the minister to assist me in finding an adequate solution to this reception issue and restore the quality of television reception that residents of the Morisset peninsula enjoyed before the analog signal was switched off last year. I ask the minister to direct the Australian Communications and Media Authority to investigate the matter fully and make recommendations to remedy the situation. I congratulate everyone who signed the petition, in particular Mr Kirk, who was the principal petitioner. I note that the minister has worked closely with my colleague in the Hunter, the member for Paterson, on similar reception issues and I hope his enthusiasm to fix the problem in Morisset will be equally forthcoming.