Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) observes:

(a) United Nations World Radio Day (WRD) on 13 February 2018;

(b) this year's WRD theme of 'Radio and Sports' which calls on us to:

  (i) celebrate the role of radio in promoting Australian sports and the inspiring stories of our high achieving sportspeople and teams;

  (ii) support and promote the grassroots sports that anchor us within our communities;

  (iii) be inspired by the stories that challenge gender stereotypes; and

     (iv) equally cover both men's and women's sports events;

(2) recognises the:

(a) unique ability of sport to unite and inspire Australians of all backgrounds, and the iconic nature of many Australian sporting events;

(b) power of radio to unite, inform and entertain Australians throughout the nation and across commercial, public and community broadcasting;

(c) particular importance of publicly funded radio in regional and remote Australia, especially during natural disasters;

(d) critical importance of publicly funded radio for our culturally and linguistically diverse communities through the SBS; and

     (e) role of community broadcasters in nurturing new Australian talent including sports broadcasters, journalists and producers;

(3) acknowledges:

(a) the significant disparity between the coverage of men's and women's sports in Australia in radio broadcasting, as well as television, print and online; and

     (b) the need to address this disparity to encourage greater participation in women's sports and to recognise the achievements of our women athletes; and

(4) calls for:

(a) commercial, public and community radio broadcasters to cover more women's sports and to ensure there is a diversity of voices in sports commentary; and

(b) greater recognition of the extraordinary achievements of our women's sports teams in the media, including by ensuring equal public funding.

Tomorrow, 13 February, marks the United Nations World Radio Day. This year's theme is radio and sports. It's particularly relevant to Australia this year, with its strong focus on more equal coverage of women's sports as well as the promotion of women's voices in sport. In Australia over the last few years we've seen the increasing professionalisation of women's sport, including in the AFLW and women's cricket. And I'm excited about the launch of the new NRL Women's Premiership this year, following the success of the Jillaroos in the Ruby League World Cup.

But one of the challenges ahead is to ensure that as women's sport grows they are afforded meaningful air time. The last time the data was analysed, just seven per cent of all sports coverage in Australian media was of women's sport. That does not reflect the make-up of our society or sports participation, nor our aspirations as a modern, egalitarian nation. These imbalances have real consequences. They deny women and girls exposure to sport and the encouragement which comes from them seeing their role models work hard for their success.

Fortunately, this is beginning to change. Over the summer you could watch our women's cricket team play in the Ashes or listen on ABC Grandstand. You can also watch the entire season of the AFLW on free-to-air and pay channels. Just yesterday, I watched a remarkable result with Ash Barty and Casey Dellacqua winning the final match to secure the tie in the Federation Cup right here in Canberra, shown live on free-to-air TV.

As well as covering the matches, there is also a role for all our broadcasters—commercial, public and community—in helping to ensure that women's voices are not just tolerated but celebrated in sports journalism. In the words of Melbourne broadcaster, Angela Pippos, who has written a book on the subject, the sports media in Australia is still largely, to quote her, 'Pale, male and stale', a sad indictment!

One way to change that is to ensure there is a very strong talent pipeline, so this motion also recognises the important role of publicly funded radio, including the ABC, SBS and community radio in supporting up-and-coming talent. It's only been in the last few decades that women were welcomed into sports media. Debbie Spillane was the first full-time female broadcaster to be hired by ABC Sport, and that was just in 1984. She told Mamamia last year that there's a long way to go, saying:

Until women are trusted to be the person who describes the action, play by play, ball by ball, then women in sports media will always be second class citizens.

I hope that this motion will receive bipartisan support and shine a light on the work of many of our fantastic female sports journalists, presenters, broadcasters and commentators. I also hope that it will help to inspire the next generation to get involved in radio, and consider sports as a viable specialty—whatever their gender.

On this World Radio Day we can also acknowledge that radio can connect, inform, entertain and strengthen our communities in other significant ways. The thing about modern life is that mobility is increasingly important. Unlike a television screen, radio can travel with you. While you're doing other tasks, while you're travelling in the car, while you're being involved around the house, the radio can connect you to people, and it can engage community feedback.

Just a couple of weeks ago I was interviewed in Melbourne on the community radio station 3KND, which stands for 3 Kool n Deadly. It's Melbourne's first Indigenous owned and managed radio station. As well as discussing politics and current affairs, I also chatted with Charles Pakana about sports and the fantastic connections Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have with sport. There are many fantastic elements of radio and sports. We just need to make sure that they reflect the interests, talents and real achievements of our whole population, not just a few. I hope people enjoy World Radio Day tomorrow and that it helps us to focus on the future ahead.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Community radio is a wonderful Australian tradition, and I'm pleased to report that community radio is alive and strong in Chisholm. 3WBC 94.1 FM is one of more than 400 licensed community radio stations throughout Australia, and its history is deeply rooted in our local community. 3WBC is staffed entirely by wonderful, hardworking volunteers and is broadcast from its home in the Box Hill Town Hall in the heart of Chisholm, with approximately 20 per cent of the program dedicated to ethnic focused content, giving a great insight to 3WBC's ethic and purpose—to provide a voice to the people of Chisholm's vibrant and diverse community.

Community radio stations, such as 3WBC, play a unique role in delivering localised content relevant to Melbourne's wonderful eastern suburbs, communicating with people who may have otherwise been isolated from their local communities. I was pleased to join 3WBC in recent times as a guest of Iain Messer and Michael Crichton on their wonderfully informative and enriching programs. This World Radio Day I commend 3WBC on their ongoing dedication to enriching the air waves of Melbourne's east with wonderful stories of our community, great music and intelligent discussions of current affairs. 3WBC also plays a wonderful role in broadcasting the VFL games of the Box Hill Hawks, our wonderful Australian rules football team, and this year 3WBC is celebrating their 11th year providing expert commentary to those listening at home.

Sport and radio obviously go hand in hand in Chisholm as the number 1 ticket holders of the Box Hill Hawks. The Women's VFL team and none other than the wonderful presenters of The Outer Sanctum are, in their own words, changing the game on conventional AFL chat. Kate Seear, Nicole Hayes, Alicia Sometimes, Emma Race, Lucy Race and Felicity Race focus on stories and voices rarely heard in the AFL community. The Outer Sanctum, which started as a podcast, is now a weekly fixture during the AFLW season on ABC Grandstand, telling the inspiring stories of women in Australia's most loved sport and pastime Aussie rules football.

Wonderful stories, such as the history and work of 3WBC and the trailblazing work of the women of The Outer Sanctum, is why the Turnbull government recognises the importance of the community radio sector and why, last year, we dedicated $6.1 million in funding over two years for the community radio sector to support digital radio services and one-off spectrum reorganisation costs for analogue radio services. This funding is in addition to the $15 million per annum already provided through the community broadcasting program. We've ensured the sustainability of community radio stations, such as 3WCB, by allocating $2.2 million in funding throughout 2017 and 2018 to assist radio community broadcasters affected by the implementation—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 19:04 to 19:18

As I mentioned, I have been pleased to join 3WBC in recent times as a guest of Iain Messer on his wonderfully informative and enriching program. This World Radio Day, I commend 3WBC on their ongoing dedication to enriching the airwaves of Melbourne's east with wonderful stories of our community, great music and intelligent discussions.

Such wonderful stories, such as the history and work of 3WBC and the trailblazing work of the women of Outer Sanctum, are the reason why the Turnbull government recognise the importance of the community radio sector and why last year we dedicated $6.1 million in funding over two years for the community radio sector. We have ensured the sustainability of community radio stations such as 3WBC by allocating $2.2 million in funding throughout 2017-18 to assist community radio broadcasters affected by the implementation of the Australian Communication and Media Authority's long-term strategy for the 803-960 MHz band. The additional one-off investment supports the ongoing stability of some stations to ensure continued delivery of community radio services to their audiences. The government's investment in the community broadcasting sector allows the continued development of content, training for workers, transmission, infrastructure, online services and the broadcasting of Australian music.

I'm pleased to also acknowledge Mr Alexander Hehr OAM, who last year was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the broadcast media, particularly through community radio. Hardworking volunteers, like Alex at Golden Days Radio, and Michael Chrichton and Iain at 3WBC and the wonderful Outer Sanctum team, whose voices reach thousands of Chisholm locals and Melbourne residents, play an integral role in telling stories and binding our communities together. Community radio is here to stay, so I encourage everyone to tune in.

Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion moved by the member for Grayndler and congratulate him on bringing forward this motion, because it does address the very important topic of Australian sport and, in particular, calling for more equal representation of women's and men's sport in radio. As was mentioned, quite sadly, women's competitive and amateur sport only makes up seven per cent of media coverage in our country. We need to do better as a nation.

We have heard, of course, of the growth in women's professional sport. For a long time, it was just the WNBL that was a national league promoted for women and our netballers, but this year we have seen another successful cricket season, we have seen and started another successful AFLW season, and we have heard that we will soon have a national rugby league competition. However, there is still a massive imbalance between men's and women's sport when it comes to sponsorship and broadcasting.

I wish to raise the example of the WNBL, which is close to regional electorates and, in particular, my electorate of Bendigo. It was very unfortunate and quite sad for the WNBL to be axed from the ABC because of disastrous funding cuts. Quite a lot of money was cut from the ABC, and, as a result of that, they axed the broadcasting of the women's soccer and also the WNBL. At the time, the Bendigo Spirit, which is the WNBL team in my part of the world, raised their concerns. They spoke about what would happen to sponsorship. They spoke about the struggle without broadcasting to raise the sponsorship dollars (1) to pay their players more but (2) to invest in the next generation of sports stars and women. That was a big cut delivered to the ABC and to the WNBL by this government, and the team has struggled.

What has since happened is this government has given $30 million to Fox Sports—a bit of a backdoor deal about media control—to encourage them to promote more women's sport. There's a lack of documentation in relation to this agreement and a lack of accountability. An FOI application by the ABC established there was no documentation about this gift to Fox Sports. What we have seen is that Fox Sports did pick up coverage of the WNBL and is broadcasting part of the AFL season. However, what Fox Sports has done has bullied the WNBL into a shorter season. When the ABC was involved in broadcasting, we would have been getting close to finals right now, but we're not. The season has already ended. A professional women's league has been cut back because of broadcasting.

This government created that problem. They've said loudly and clearly to the WNBL and the AFL Women's League, 'You must both finish before the men's competition starts.' How outrageous is that! We are trying to get towards more equal representation of men's and women's sport, yet the broadcasters are saying to the women's league: 'You must end. The two of you must compete against each other and end before the men's competition starts.' It's quite sad that this is where we're at in 2018, when so many young women are engaging in sport.

That is why the support for radio is so critical. I know that, if it wasn't for the broadcasting of the WNBL games and the AFLW games on our local community radio, many of those sports' fans would have missed out on an opportunity to listen in and hear the call of the game. It is so critical that, as a country, we take radio and the broadcasting of women's sport more seriously. Radio continues to be a medium in which all of us engage, whether it's in our car, whether it's working in our gardens, whether you're in the city or the metro. Radio continues to be important, just as important as investing in women's sports and sports broadcasting.

Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tomorrow marks United Nations World Radio Day, and I commend the member for Grayndler for bringing this motion to the House. World Radio Day began in 2012, and tomorrow will be the organisation's seventh annual event. The theme for 2018 is Radio and Sports, and it will focus on diversity in sports coverage, gender equality in sports coverage and also peace and development through sports coverage. Across Australia, we are encouraged to unite and celebrate not only the role radio plays within our communities but also the role of sport.

Radio stations entertain us, they inform us and, when natural disasters strike, they also keep our country communities safe. In country Australia, radio stations form part of the very fabric of our country communities. I just love country radio, and tonight I recognise a local radio station in Calare that has become an institution in the Bathurst area. I speak, of course, of Bathurst Broadcasters, which has been locally owned and operated by Ron and Stephanie Camplin since 1969. Bathurst Broadcasters operate 1503 2BS Gold and 99.3 B-Rock FM, and they are iconic stations in Bathurst, Blayney, Oberon and surrounding district. 2BS has a long and distinguished history. It started broadcasting in Bathurst on 1 January 1937. That's an incredible 81 years ago. On 2 December 1996, B-Rock FM hit the airwaves, and it hasn't looked back for 22 wonderful years.

Ron Camplin has been involved in the radio industry for more than 60 years. He is a broadcasting legend. He is the elder statesman of Australian broadcasting, and he's known and respected around Australia. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to commercial broadcasting and the local community in 1995. Ron also received the 12th Radio Achievement Award for pursuing FM licences for regional areas, and in 2002 he was inducted into the Commercial Radio Australia Hall of Fame. Stephanie Camplin is also a broadcasting legend. She received an OAM last year for her services to the community and regional broadcasting. Ron and Stephanie's philanthropy has helped make our region the vibrant regional centre that it is today, and I congratulate both Ron and Stephanie on all they have achieved at the station and for our communities, generally. They are a great team.

Their passion and dedication is evident at Bathurst Broadcasters, because, together, 2BS and B-Rock have won 65 Commercial Radio Australia awards since 1989. They have a hardworking and devoted team, both on air and off. Bathurst Broadcasters are involved in so many community activities, and I would like to make special mention this evening of their general manager, Phil Cole, and also their receptionist and talk program producer Natalie Pilato. Both Phil and Natalie are vital to the running of Bathurst Broadcasters.

At 2BS Gold, special mention goes to the on-air team, including Kerry Peck, also known as Pecky, who hosts the weekday breakfast show—I chat with him every Wednesday morning. I also recognise Sarah Boorer, who hosts Talk of the Town, and the great Christopher Morgan and Dom Ingersole, who host The Hump every Wednesday. Janeen Hosemans and Peter Harrison host the iconic Bangers and Mash show every Friday afternoon—I am also a guest this every fortnight and have cautioned them about playing beach volleyball in the 2BS studio. You will find Harrison Carter on two shows: Homemade Jam and Sunday Acoustic Session. Lastly, I would like to mention Pete Watson, who hosts Saturday Morning Wireless. I recently had the opportunity to co-host the morning show with Pete—

An honourable member: Get a job with him!

I wouldn't mind it, but I think Pete might have an issue with it. Thank you for having me.

B-Rock FM also has a fantastic on-air team, including Sarah Connor, who hosts the Classic Rock Show and is also on Monday to Friday on Deek and Sconner; Daniel King, who hosts the B-Rock Morning Show; Harrison Carter, who hosts B-Rock Saturday Mornings; Darren Webster, who hosts the Rockshop; and Gabi Bolt, who is on air from 9 am to midday, Monday to Friday. The station is also very supportive of Charles Sturt University, in particular the commercial radio students who study there. Students not only undertake a subject at 2BS and B-Rock but also have the opportunity to complete an internship and volunteer at the station. This provides students with an invaluable learning experience.

In 1979, the Buggles released that classic song Video Killed the Radio Star. Radio hasn't faded and the radio stars, including those at Bathurst Broadcasters, continue to shine and make our lives richer. Congratulations to Bathurst Broadcasters and country radio stations just like them. May radio keep going from strength to strength. We thank them, we appreciate them and we acknowledge their service to communities tonight.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too would like to acknowledge the member for Grayndler for putting this motion forward tonight to the chamber. It is no secret that I am an avid lover of sport. I love everything about sport: its ability to teach teamwork, the friendships it develops, the fitness, the discipline and the independence, amongst other things. I have grown up with sport and played it my whole life. Of course, my favourite sport is netball. I love playing it and watching it. Cheering on my beloved Vixens and the Australian Diamonds is a great passion of mine. It is also no secret that I am a strong advocate for women's participation in sport and women's achievements being broadcast for others to enjoy.

So, on World Radio Day, I think it is fitting that radio and sports be celebrated this year. It is just common sense that women should be given as much airtime as their male counterparts when playing sport. It is exciting to see that women are now being embraced in sports such as AFL and NRL, and that they are being given airtime for all in the community to watch and listen. Broadcasting women's sport provides young women and girls with the opportunity to see that they too can aspire to be sporting heroes, rather than watching their brothers' aspirations on screen or listening to them on the radio.

It is also pleasing that, as the AFL women's competition has grown from strength to strength since its inaugural year last year, so too have the opportunities for women to establish their careers in journalism and commentary. Women should be equally celebrated when it comes to sport—as celebrated as men are—and it is encouraging that, in recent times, women's sport is being embraced by broadcasting networks. Credit where credit is due, it is fantastic to see women's sport being broadcast nationally.

However, there is still a significant disparity between the coverage of men's and women's sport in Australia in radio broadcasting as well as on the television and online. So, when the Turnbull government gave a $30 million dollar handout to Fox Sports, it was never about boosting the profile of women's sport. Advocates of women's sports have the right to be frustrated. If the Turnbull government were serious about genuinely boosting the profile of women's sport, they would be offering the same assistance to free-to-air TV and radio networks, and not just Fox Sport. I'm not fooled by this. My Labor colleagues are not fooled. This is just another example of a government that is prepared to shell out to big businesses—in this instance, at the expense of women's engagement in sport. As we heard from the member for Bendigo, the women's basketball league has been asked to truncate their season to fit in with Fox Sports' coverage. This, therefore, is not about the expansion of women's sport.

To make matters worse, the Turnbull government is trying to justify their spend by saying that Fox Sports was chosen because they provide approximately 70 per cent of the women's sports coverage currently on television. This is laughable as a justification when you consider the funding cuts to our national broadcaster, cuts that saw absolute cuts to women's sport broadcasting. The member for Bendigo has been on her feet many times talking about just that. This money would have been better spent on free-to-air coverage on radio and television, to maximise the audience for women's sport.

One argument given for a lack of live coverage of women's sport is that audiences would be too small. Given that over the weekend a crowd of 41,975 attended to watch the AFL women's game between Freemantle and Collingwood, I think it is safe to say that there is plenty of interest in women's sport.

I fondly recall last year when I taped an Essendon football match, which was a strange thing for a mad Bombers fan to do, but the Melbourne Vixens were playing. So I chose to tape Essendon and watch my girls take the court in a great match. Only weeks ago I missed the Australian Open men's final to watch the Australian Diamonds defeat their arch enemy from across the ditch, the Silver Ferns. Times are changing. Women are tuning in to women's sport, and the broadcasting needs to keep up.

Unlike the Turnbull government, Labor is committed to ensuring Australians enjoy coverage of premium sporting events on free-to-air television, because equality in sport is non-negotiable. As the member for Grayndler did, I will talk about the voices in sport. We've all spent summers and other times in the car listening to sports on the radio. I look forward to listening to Liz Ellis, Sue Gaudion and Sharelle McMahon, great netball commentators. I look forward to listening to Jillaroos, Opals and Southern Stars matches beamed live into my car as I travel around the state.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allocated for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation C h amber adjourned at 19:35