Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I speak in support of the Save Our Voices campaign. Our local people want our local media. There has been a rapid change in the way that media operates in our community. When the original legislation was put in place, the internet was a mere infant. It had little effect on our everyday lives. Now, however, it is almost as if we have never known life without it. Certainly, children born this century will never know what it is like not to have the internet, unless there is a electricity blackout and their phones are not charged.

Back in the 90s there was a fear about monopoly media ownership—that perhaps this would change the way people thought about issues. Legislation was put in place to protect the independence of media and to retain competition. But the 'less than 75 per cent' rule cannot be applied to the internet, so any broadcaster, any paper, any radio can reach anywhere in Australia. This is totally unfair to our regional media. One of my parliamentary colleagues, Angus Taylor, the member for Hume, has stated that this outdated legislation is, 'Squeezing the life out of our regional TV networks.'

The metropolitan networks sell programs to regional networks at pretty high prices. The regionals then have to remain economic, and the easiest way is to reduce staff, or reduce the maintenance on their regional infrastructure. After the digital switch-over, residents in Gilmore are already experiencing TV blackspots.

There is no logical reason for a regional television station to invest in the local towers, unless they know their investment is going to give some sort of return. Many people, particularly in Shoalhaven Heads and in Bomaderry, are already experiencing this problem. We work with ACMA and the residents to faithfully monitor times of transmission loss, weather conditions and any other factors that could remotely be affecting their viewing.

We in the regions will continue to rely on TV towers for free-to-air programs, especially in Gilmore, where many of our wiser residents do not access their viewing by any other method. In addition, events like the AFL, the NRL and our famous Melbourne Cup—nation-stopping events—will have shonky transmission if there is no future investment in regional towers.

During the process of switching over from analog to digital, I cannot tell you many calls and emails I received complaining about lost transmission in the middle of our national summer sports like tennis and cricket, not to mention during the Winter Olympics. The reach rule simply must be considered as ridiculous. It is out of step with current needs. Investment in regional towers to facilitate regional media is essential. You just cannot separate a fair dinkum Aussie from their sport.

Staffing in regional media can also be a potential for cost cutting. Our community fought hard to keep the Nowra ABC office as a functional location in a regional area. I advocated directly with the director of the ABC. We had local forums. The community was angry about the potential loss of local coverage. The running costs of the ABC Nowra were less than 60 grand a year. It was clear that the ABC managing director had decided to cut our relatively inexpensive local service but did not cut any of the 38 lawyers and legal advisers based in their Ultimo office, each on an average pay pack of about 143 grand a year. One year's salary and associated costs of just one in-house lawyer could fund the Nowra ABC radio office for almost three years. We lost that battle.

Recently, we have seen significant local changes to Fairfax Media. Some favourite and well-respected staff members have been moved on from their employment. We need local media to cover local stories. Our locals keep us informed when tragedies hit, when emergencies arise and about where to go for help. They keep us well informed about local issues and the way national issues impact us locally. This year, our local Fairfax media, with publications in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, has had to cut 47 jobs from the region. It affected the Mercury, the Lake Times, the Kiama Independent, the South Coast Register, the Nowra News and the Milton Ulladulla Times. Already we notice that many stories appear in each of the publications in order to reduce costs, but people in Wollongong are not actually interested in personalities of Ulladulla or vice versa. Local causes will not get the voice they really need. This is not just about politicians and their words; it is about the fundraiser for Parkinson's disease, the Sussex Inlet Duck Dash, the river festival in Nowra and the steelworkers in Wollongong. It is all about local advocacy for local people.

One of our best-known local stringers for Win TV is Michael Pignataro. He tells me he loves his job because he is a catalyst for bringing about change. If a village needs a boat ramp, he can help. If there is a drainage issue on a local road, he can help. In his words:

This isn't about my job, it's giving a voice to those who can't speak out loudly enough.

I encourage everyone, especially in regional Australia, to support the Save our Voices campaign.