Tim Hammond (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted to rise to speak on the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Bill 2017, which performs a vital community service insofar as it agrees to continue to support the wonderful medium of digital radio. Digital radio, as we all know, is an incredibly important service, over and above radio as a standard transmission that has provided information and entertainment in Australia for over 90 years, back in the day when it was known as the wireless. Of course, wireless means something completely different these days from what it meant back in the days of The Sullivans.

In government, Labor introduced digital radio in Australia to supplement rather than replace traditional analog AM and FM radio services. Digital radio offers many features and benefits, including an enhanced choice of stations, clear reception, exceptional sound quality, song and artist information, and pause and rewind functionality. In order to receive digital radio services one needs a receiver or digital device with a DAB chip in it. For those at home not familiar with a DAB chip—I understand 'dab' can mean many things. The dab was made famous by Usain Bolt. I will not demonstrate one in this chamber, because it would be awkward, quite frankly. But in the context of digital radio, DAB means digital audio broadcasting.

Digital radio services from commercial radio broadcasters and national broadcasters have been operating in the metropolitan licence areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth since 1 July 2009, as well as in Canberra and Darwin on a trial basis. We know that the rollout of digital radio across regional Australia involves significant cost and complexity, and it is being planned by the Digital Radio Planning Committee for regional Australia, which was formed in September 2015 following a federal government review of digital radio.

I'm delighted to rise in support of the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Bill. It is another step in the chain of a long line of consistent actions taken by the federal Labor Party which demonstrate unwavering support to the medium of digital radio. Before the 2016 election, following the May 2016 budget, it appeared that the Prime Minister and those conservatives who yearned for simpler times were seeking to cut $5.6 million from community digital radio across the country. What that was likely to do was pull the rug out from under the feet of my local radio station RTRFM. I would like, at this point in time, very much to put a big shout out to RTRFM. RTRFM is a fantastic local radio station. Its premises are located in Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley, and it has gone from strength to strength for over 20 years in that space. As a matter of fact, I remember quite clearly back in my earlier university days—again, I'm on the verge of sounding terribly awkward—having long hair and a You Am I T-shirt, rocking out the first ever In The Pines event that was hosted by RTR in the Summerville Pines Auditorium at the University of Western Australia. Weren't those the days!

In The Pines has survived, as RTR has survived, a not-for-profit radio station, but it had to adapt and progress into the 21st century. There was a real risk that this funding of $5.6 million over the course of four years, or $1.4 million per annum, would mean that a not-for-profit community radio station like RTR, which provides a service to many Western Australians, many of them living within in my federal electorate of Perth, would be jeopardised. So I was very pleased to be one of many to campaign to make sure this funding was restored, back in 2016. I was very pleased, back on 2 June 2016, to be able to that announce it was one of federal Labor's election commitments to ensure that that funding was restored. It was our way of making sure that digital radio, from a community point of view, was maintained and thousands and thousands of Western Australians, particularly younger Western Australians who really are into the sort of music that RTRFM puts on—it's mostly independent music—could continue to enjoy it.

The reason it is so important that we maintain investment in digital radio, which is the reason why we agree to support this bill, is that it not only means we stay competitive insofar as an ever-shrinking global economy goes but also means that local stations like RTRFM in Mount Lawley continue to offer a foothold into the industry for those who are trying to establish themselves in the sound and music arena. RTRFM continuing on for so long means that budding sound engineers get their first go, up-and-coming rock bands get their first go and DJs get their first go—all in an environment where a not-for-profit community organisation pulls in volunteers who keep the show on the road. I am very pleased to say that the commitment to support digital radio at RTRFM is a commitment that is also matched by the state government. My great friend and colleague Simon Millman, the member for Mount Lawley, campaigned to support RTRFM prior to the state election. He was successful in securing a funding grant, in the range of $120,000, to ensure that RTR could continue to survive and prosper.

While the In The Pines event has been going for 20 years, it is really dwarfed by the genesis of RTRFM, which has been going for 40 years. It was vital that community radio and digital radio received the level of support that we're seeing in Western Australia from all levels of government—local government, $120,000 from the state government and campaigning to restore the cuts to digital radio at the federal level. So, to Stu MacLeod and to Rewi Lyall and to all the troops at RTRFM, it is important that they know that, even all the way over here in sunny Canberra, we continue to support local ventures like not-for-profit community radio stations.

This bill stems from reforms identified by completed statutory reviews of digital radio. The measures in the bill arise from consultation with the key digital radio industry stakeholders and recommendations contained in the Digital radio report, following the completion of statutory reviews of digital radio. One of the recommendations was that the government consider minor amendments to existing digital radio regulatory regimes to create a simpler, more flexible process for the planning and licensing of digital radio in regional Australia. Can I suggest that it is simply the way forward, in terms of managing that interface between government and many of these radio stations who survive on the smell of an oily rag, to make sure that we do everything we can to create a simpler framework, particularly as we move into that digital platform space.

This bill contains a package of measures designed to simplify the digital radio framework and help expedite the rollout of digital radio to regional Australia by shortening legislatively prescribed time frames associated with the rollout. That's something that my good friend and most eloquent colleague the member for Bendigo will probably speak more on, given regional Australia is, perhaps, more her bailiwick than mine. If I started to describe the federal seat of Perth as being, remotely, a regional framework I would be in all manner of trouble.

It is most certainly not a regional framework, but it does require the same sort of support, particularly in relation to making sure that our not-for-profit local community radio stations are supported. We need to be consistent in relation to that measure. We need to be consistent in relation to making sure that, as we evolve into the 22nd century and more and more Australians receive the benefit of digital radio, the platform is supported.

In closing, I'm very pleased that Labor will support the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Bill 2017. It is yet another sign of our unwavering support to bipartisan politics in this place, which we see happening time and time again for the benefit of this great country. We have that support, in an unblinking fashion, both for the city and the country, and we will see that continuing ever more, particularly in the digital radio space. To finish, I offer one more shout out for the great people at RTRFM. Long may their services reign in all manner and method of broadcast, and we will continue to support them at all levels of government.

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

Whilst the member for Perth is right that Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Bill 2017 is noncontroversial, it does give me a chance to talk about digital radio and the importance of radio as a means of communication with the regions and with other significant parts of our community, such as many of our multicultural communities. In our communities, we have a number of people who are Greek Australians, Italian Australians and Chinese Australians who still switch on the radio to hear, in their first language, news about what's going in the community.

In my contribution to this debate I want to speak about the importance of radio, and about having a comprehensive policy that ensures that radio, as a means of communication and entertainment in our country, continues. We have a problem with the pace with which we're rolling out digital radio, and there is a bit of a discussion about whether we will get the digital method across our country before we get to online streaming—which will come first? As the report that others have referred to said, we have to do both. This also gives me a chance to talk about what is happening with mobile reception and the NBN and the rollout of internet access, and the effect that that is having on radio.

When I first got that email pop into my inbox—that spam email that says, 'I've been made aware that in your postcode you are entitled to digital radio'—I thought: 'What is digital radio? How is it different to analogue radio?' I started to make inquiries, and discovered that Bendigo and central Victoria were not actually part of the digital radio rollout. It is mainly something that exists in the cites. We are quite fortunate in Bendigo and central Victoria, and it might have something to do with our geography. Mount Macedon appears to have caused a bit of a problem for us with receiving signals from Melbourne, but, because of that, we have a number of own radio stations and a number of our own community stations. Being a regional electorate of over 6,000 square kilometres, each of our towns has their own community station—whether it be in Woodend, whether it be in Mount Alexander and Castlemaine, or whether it be in Bendigo.

I should give a shout out to some of the radio stations that have been operating for many years in my part of the world. There's the popular 3BO, and I shout out to Cogho and Ez, who have been doing breakfast mornings—particularly Cogho, Bryan Coghlan, who has been on the breakfast program for 25-plus years. These days it's known as Triple M. It's one of the most popular radio stations we have, with at least 50 per cent of people in Bendigo switching on. We also have ABC Central Victoria. It's very popular amongst people in our community. From the Macedonian Ranges through to Echuca people switch on, particularly to Fiona Parker's morning program.

We also have, apart from the more popular ones, KLFM and Gold Central Victoria. I will get in trouble if I don't give a shout-out to Bruce Lees. We have a regular segment where we talk about politics and what's going on in this place. Phoenix FM is a community radio station. It is a family. They broadcast programs from Latin through to council meetings. They cover a number of issues in the community. In Maldon they have a segment about Maldon matters. They play a bit of Simon and Garfunkel's My Little Town as their theme music, which is really fitting and reflective of Maldon.

Apart from the fact that radio stations in the regions deliver local news and help tell the local stories, they are incredibly important, particularly when it comes to emergencies. When there is a bushfire risk a number of stations become the emergency broadcaster. We hear the music that sends a shiver down your spine before the presenter goes on to tell you what the risk is. Quite often in areas where you've lost phone reception you can still turn the radio on and hear the broadcaster tell you when it's safe, where it's safe and what the advice is. This isn't just in Victoria; it's also in regional Queensland—when it comes to cyclones and severe storms, radio broadcasting continues to be important.

At a time when there is so much that people can consume to be entertained, we thought people would start to phase out radio. But, with the rise of podcasts and online streaming, people are still turning to radio and listening to radio, because it does go with you. In regional areas and in the city you will spend lots of time in your car. The radio is still the best way to be not only entertained but updated. While speaking about traffic, I'll tell you a little thing that happens in regional Victoria, particularly in my part of the world. Traffic updates are a big deal in Melbourne. They tell you which roads to avoid. It is the same in Sydney. Our traffic update in Bendigo quite often is: 'There are no traffic issues today. Enjoy your day.' Isn't it great to live in central Victoria? It's that tongue in cheek and that real kind of experience that we have.

Talkback radio continues to be a way people engage in the issue of the day and debate it. There is even texting and tweeting about what is happening on radio. Radio is interactive; it's not just information sharing. It's a way people in our communities participate in debate and discussion. This week the radio, like all media, has been a bit ugly. People in this place know how ugly it has been. But beyond that there is genuine discussion about what is happening in our community and what matters.

I touched briefly on the importance that radio has, particularly to many of our ethnic and multicultural communities. It's a way in which we can ensure Australians from a non-English-speaking background do know what's going on and can participate and engage. The SBS, the ABC and our community radio stations need a shout-out for their efforts to ensure that all Australians stay engaged and are actively involved in topics of discussion. They do this while at the same time sharing music and being entertaining. Entertainment and music are a big part of our culture, and radio is part of helping to share that story.

I want to touch on the report that was released and highlight a couple of things I really hope the government, and future governments, take on board. We are in a telecommunication crisis, particularly in regional Australia. Different people use different means in which to engage with radio. Some are fortunate enough to have good mobile phone reception, or good internet, and can stream. They might have an app that works where they can stream, whether it be ABC listen or their favourite Triple M app. But that is not the case for all, particularly if you don't live near a tower, and particularly if you live in a black-spot area. Therefore, in these areas it is unlikely that they'll be added to the digital rollout map anytime soon.

So it's really important that the government note and respect the recommendation that no timetable be set for analog radio switch off—don't switch it off. Do not switch off the ability for people in the regions to tune in and listen. This is not just when it comes to emergency times but it is to be able to stay engaged. If you talk to farmers, to people who work on the lands and to people like truckies who are driving for long stints, the radio keeps them engaged and alert. It's important that we do not set down a timetable to switch off analog radio, because it will hurt many people in the regions. It will hurt many people in our multicultural communities and ethnic communities if they lose the ability to engage. It will also hurt a lot of our community radio stations.

We know, as others have said, that the transition to digital radio is a commercial decision that is made. It is a decision that the industry make because they believe that there is an opportunity for commercial reasons. I appreciate and understand that radio is a commercial business; however, it is so much more than that. It is a way in which people in our community communicate. It is a way that people share their stories and engage. I wish that more members in this place had the opportunity and the radio stations and programs that we have in central Victoria—whether it be Triple J, Radio KLFM, Phoenix FM, with its 'Maldon matters', or any of the 22 radio stations that we have in the electorate. We have diversity, and we have the opportunity to continue to share our story.

It's important, as a government and as a parliament, that we continue to support and ensure all radio services are available—whether they be community or commercial—and that we have the infrastructure. In the future we may have the same mobile connectivity as China, we may be able to walk into the bush and continue to use our mobile phones, and we may catch up to the rest of the world when it comes to our mobile connectivity and our NBN connectivity, but, until we get to that point—where 100 per cent of Australians have access to use their mobile phone for streaming or accessing radio—we need to ensure that we continue to support analog and digital radio. As I've said, it is a way that many Australians continue to engage in politics, in debates, in weather and in what's going on in their community.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Nick Xenophon Team supports the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Bill 2017. Radio plays an important role in connecting our communities, particularly our regional and remote communities. As a listener and a one-time amateur community radio announcer, I'm a keen supporter of this medium and appreciate how much digital radio has supplemented the FM and AM stations. Digital radio has been broadcasting in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide since 2009. Canberra and Darwin are about to receive permanent licences, and I understand Hobart is next on the list, but the rollout has been sloth-like in its slowness, and, really, it does show contempt for those of us who live outside the big metropolitan regions. Some of my electorate is in the Adelaide licence area, but most of it is not, and the listeners in Mayo would like that to change. Why should we wait eight years, as we have? This is another example of the digital divide that exists between city folk and those of us in rural and regional Australia.

To that end, I and my Nick Xenophon Team colleagues welcome this bill, which seeks to streamline the Australian Communications and Media Authority, ACMA's, regulatory regime to make it easier to plan and licence digital radio in regional Australia. These amendments have come about after consultation with the broadcasting industry and are drawn from recommendations in the 2015 Department of Communications Digital radio report. This is truly welcome reform. In a time of rapid technological change, we need to be flexible and help rather than hinder the private sector. However, I do realise that while ACMA's Digital Radio Planning Committee for Regional Australia has identified 39 markets to introduce digital radio, it will be a commercial decision made by the broadcasters themselves. My concern is, if large commercial enterprises find the decision difficult or they don't believe a region will be profitable enough for them, they won't apply for a licence. This could mean that regional areas, which are just as deserving of this technology, this form of communication, will be at the mercy of a CEO's decision based on potential profits and not on regional need, and there's the great likelihood that some areas will never receive digital radio.

This gap in services to community radio, I believe, comes into its own and leads me to raise the issue of the backlog in community radio licensing. I have five community radio stations in my electorate with long-term licences and three with temporary licences. TribeFM and 5 Triple Z share a temporary licence, and Hills Radio is on its fourth year of a temporary licence. These stations are not alone in their desire for a long-term licence. The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia says there are approximately 65 community radio stations across the country still waiting for a permanent licence. I understand approximately half a dozen licences were advertised recently by ACMA. This is the first group of licences to be advertised in many, many years. They are in areas that are fairly easy to regulate.

In my electorate and in the case of Hills Radio, the regulatory regime is more complicated. The Murray Bridge licensing area plan needs to be reviewed. The time line for this review has been significantly delayed. Bear in mind, Murray Bridge is 46 kilometres away from Mount Barker, a community very different to the Adelaide Hills. And the people of the Adelaide Hills rarely travel or work in the Murray Bridge area.

When I raised this issue with the communications minister, Senator Fifield, in 2016 on behalf of my constituents, I was promised that the review would be in 2017. I understand that it's been delayed again, and now will be the last quarter of this year at the very earliest. I understand that poor resourcing is exacerbating the processing time for ACMA. But this is just not acceptable. How can it be that government provide support to some—it's reported they provided $30 million to Rupert Murdoch and Foxtel—yet only crumbs are available for community radio? And don't get me started on the lack of government support for community television!

I raised this claim about the lack of resources in ACMA's community broadcasting unit in correspondence with the minister, but today I'm none the wiser and I still am yet to understand whether the minister truly supports community radio.

So, while I commend the government for streamlining the regulatory regime for digital radio, I urge them to investigate similar reforms and put in the same amount of effort when it relates to community radio licensing. With respect to digital radio, the government must ensure that there are supports in place so that those of us who live in regional areas don't miss out because of commercial decisions of CEOs. At the very least, government need to provide ACMA with the resources it needs to get the work done, because regional Australia is missing out. In the last budget, the government gave a two-year commitment of $3.9 million to community digital radio. I must say that was after a huge campaign by community radio stations, which I was very keen to support. But that money won't go far and it won't reduce the backlog of community radio stations and their licensing applications.

Community radio had a record number of listeners in 2017. More than 5.3 million Australians—one in four Australians—tuned in. There are more than 450 community radio stations across Australia, and 66 per cent of them are in regional and rural areas communicating with Indigenous communities, ethnic communities, young people, senior citizens. More than 70 per cent of the content on community radio is locally produced, and most of it by more than the 20,000 volunteers, who are passionate about this sector. They are elderly people who love radio and also young people who are really keen to get into this medium. Community radio provides more than 600 full-time equivalent jobs, and the sector trains more than 5,600 people every year, making it a training ground for our future journalists and broadcasters.

So, in closing, while I commend the government for its efforts to streamline community radio licensing arrangements, I call on the government to make sure they review the rollout when it's in regional areas to make sure that we don't miss out, simply because of commercial decisions. I also call on the government to give the same attention they give to digital radio and commercial enterprise to community radio.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the members who have contributed to the debate on the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Bill. The bill amends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 and the Radiocommunications Act 1992 with measures designed to facilitate the rollout of digital radio in regional Australia. The measures in the bill have been identified in consultation with the Digital Radio Planning Committee for Regional Australia, which is chaired by the Australian Media and Communications Authority and includes Commercial Radio Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Special Broadcasting Service and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia.

Industry and regulatory stakeholders are supportive of the measures. The aim of the bill is do deliver a simpler, more flexible process for industry and regulators to plan and license digital radio in regional Australia. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.