Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure today to speak on the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Television) Bill 2024, a bill that has come to fruition through the Albanese Labor government. This bill overturns the former government's decision to wipe out community TV in Australia. I am pleased that the communications minister has announced that the last two community TV channels, C31 and C44, will survive beyond 2024. It has been on the minds of those community TV stations for a long time, because from year to year they didn't know whether they would have the funding to exist into the future. It's a great bill.

The bill delivers on the election commitment that was made by the Albanese Labor government. It was also something I campaigned for, together with Senator Marielle Smith, in the electorate of Adelaide, because C44 is in the federal seat of Adelaide. We took it to the former government, but to no avail. We spoke to our shadow ministers at the time, and there was great interest in it. I'm pleased that the Minister for Communications has brought this bill and it has now come to fruition. It will save community TV, especially C31 in Melbourne and C44 in my electorate of Adelaide.

This was a commitment that we made at the '22 election, and we've now delivered on it. This will keep the two remaining community television stations operating and on the air until there is an alternative use for the radio frequency spectrum that they occupy. They do a great job. I speak on behalf of C44 and General Manager Lauren Hillman, who advocated fiercely and continuously for the survival of C44 in South Australia. We know this bill will ensure they have a future where they can plan things, and it will ensure that the people they service are still able to watch the community broadcasting on C44 and C31.

Community television does a great job in briefing the community. In my electorate, during COVID-19, we saw messages coming out of C44 informing the public in different languages. Many community groups were very isolated and perhaps couldn't speak English, and C44 played a real role. At the forefront of my memory is one of the great community roles they played during the Orthodox Easter. A lot of older people and pensioners in my electorate attend church during Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, but for the first time they couldn't go, because the churches were shut. C44 broadcast live church services so people could participate in the Easter celebrations, as they had done for years and years. They played a very effective role during COVID in 2020 and 2021 by ensuring they were informing different communities, which perhaps weren't locked into the traditional media that we watch, in their own languages. But they also had a vital role in the cultural and religious aspects of things. They do a great job in South Australia. It is an alternative viewing on TV that perhaps the other commercial stations don't broadcast or have an interest in; they're not dictated to by advertisements. It's a very, very good community service that they provide.

This bill will reverse the coalition's attempt to send the remaining community TV stations in Melbourne and Adelaide off air, and that was meant to start this year in June. This bill will overturn that, which means they will survive and continue to serve the diverse communities. What we've done here is not rocket science. It was very simple. It just wouldn't be done by the other side when they were in government. Of course, when an alternative use for the spectrum is found, then we can talk about how they go to that alternative system. But, until an alternative is found, there is no other choice. You must keep them on air because of the services that they provide.

As a result of the amendments, the two community television operators in these two cities, Adelaide and Melbourne, will have greater certainty beyond 30 June 2024. If you need to operate, you need that certainty to make sure that you prepare your budgets and have everything in place. When there's no certainty, you can't prepare for the future. It's very important, certainly not just for C44 and C31 but also, for the audiences who rely on these community stations, it'll mean there is surety for the future. The bill will replace that expiry date with the new ACMA-led process for determining a future day when the apparatus licensing for the remaining community television channels will cease. Under the bill, in the future the ACMA will be granted power to declare by notifiable instrument that an alternative use of the broadcasting service's band spectrum utilised by these licences has been found. That's subject to certain conditions being met at a later time than what was previously determined by legislation as the date for the cessation of those licences.

Community television plays a big role in our communities. It informs the public, including those who perhaps need a different type of process for that information to be given. I gave the example of the church services that they were broadcasting when people couldn't attend church, which was a big thing for me and my community in my electorate. Many people were praising them and saying that they felt like they were participating in those Easter celebrations when they couldn't attend many of the celebrations that took place. C44 was there, live broadcasting the church services with, of course, no parishioners in the church service. But people felt connected to it. These are the things they do that are different from commercial radio stations, pay TV, Foxtel and all the other broadcasting stations that are on air. They're very important. They play an important role in our community, and we want to make sure that they're viable and continue to service the very diverse community that they serve.

Community TV, as I said, plays a vitally important role in the diverse migrant community. I saw it first-hand in my electorate and I still see it. They still have programs in many different languages, religious and sporting programs that perhaps you wouldn't see on TV or paid channels that require a fee every month or every week or a one-off fee. They're playing a vital, important role in diverse communities, especially the migrant community. They both serve as information and entertainment platforms, with diverse entertainment. They provide religious communities with access to services. As I said, an example was when COVID-19 was happening.

I would like to congratulate Lauren Hillman, who has advocated continuously now for at least a number of years, wanting certainty. They now have that certainty. I am sure that C44 and C31 will continue to broadcast and they will continue to service their communities and reach out to all those communities that perhaps wouldn't otherwise have that information and that news that they are getting from these two wonderful channels. I commend this bill. I hope that it is supported by everyone in this place just on the fact of the important role that these channels play.

James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Waste Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I indeed commend my friend the member for Adelaide's contribution, particularly on channel 44. Of course, the member for Makin is in the chamber as well. We are probably going to give similar speeches about the value of the service these channels provide. I can assure the member for Adelaide that the coalition supports the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Television) Bill 2024.

I'll just commence by picking up on the comments from the member for Adelaide about COVID and how vitally important community television was in keeping our communities connected. I know in this debate there might be some in the more advanced tech space of the modern era of technology and digital connectivity and various platforms, particularly online through the internet and social media et cetera, that may feel that there are those kinds of digital avenues to communicate to people and broadcast to people. That has been one of the reasons why this debate has been had in the past. COVID showed us that there is a very vital role for traditional community broadcast television to keep communities connected.

The member for Adelaide made excellent points and referred to some examples. The member for Makin will probably touch on similar examples. I will use particularly an example regarding the Italian community in the eastern and north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide and the vital role that Channel 44 played in broadcasting important religious ceremonies, such as mass and vespers, through a period when unfortunately the community could not have that important attendance at mass and vespers that brings the community together. That was particularly so in the example I highlighted of some of the Italian community events that happen in my electorate and more broadly in Adelaide. It was Channel 44 that was there and available to broadcast services and also coverage of broader events through the days as they could be held, slowly but surely, as we opened up from COVID. There were obviously times, particularly for more vulnerable people, when it was not safe for them to physically go and participate because of the challenges and risks of COVID. What they did was provide access through traditional broadcast means.

Quite understandably, it's not reasonable to expect particularly elderly people to have connectivity through modern social media channels and the sorts of technology that younger people might be more comfortable with and used to using. It was great to have religious ceremonies livestreamed on certain platforms, but broadcasting is a traditional way that television reception could receive and, therefore, everyone had a variety of options. For some people, that was the only option to stay connected to those important religious services and other multicultural events happening in the community. It was very important.

COVID is the best example, but it is an ongoing requirement, particularly with an ageing population and people who find it more difficult as they get older to physically attend certain events. They can still participate in them by viewing them, by seeing the annual events that they might have attended in person for decades. They may be now in a position where they can't physically attend, particularly because of ageing and being in residential care and the like and having vulnerabilities that make it a risk to go to such events. That's where Channel 44 provides one of the great services that we should acknowledge and defend. Certainly, in the last government this was a hot issue, and I had a lot of discussions with the then minister, the member for Bradfield, about the imminent risk of the service coming to an end and the spectrum being removed from them. It was a good and important decision that Minister Fletcher made, and this bill gives even more significant security to Channel 31 and Channel 44. I respectfully leave comments about Channel 31 to my Victorian colleagues because they are in the best position to talk about the value of Channel 31, and I'm certain it is commensurate with the value of Channel 44, which is the example in Adelaide.

In Adelaide, the service that Channel 44 provides is very important. It's community led. It's volunteer led. They obviously work very hard to finance and fund the service they provide. There's a lot of volunteerism associated with what they do. And, of course, a lot of people learn great skills and get excellent early opportunities in the sector as well through people like Channel 44. I've got the South Australian Film Corporation in my electorate, and we in South Australia are very proud of our history more broadly in broadcasting, film and screen. Both the on-camera expertise and technical expertise that are needed to produce broadcast-quality product, like Channel 44 do, are also very important skills that are supported in that broader ecosystem in South Australia.

The coalition supports this bill. I reiterate my great appreciation to Channel 44 for what they do to serve the Adelaide community. They provide a vital service and, in particular, that connectivity in a more traditional way, through broadcast television of important community events, which means that people that have been disconnected in different ways, such as through COVID, are able to stay connected in a way that would not be possible without Channel 44. So thank you to them for what they do and provide. With that, I commend the bill to the House.

Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to be speaking in support of this bill, the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Television) Bill 2024, delivering on our government's commitment to secure the future of Channel 31 in my home town of Melbourne and Channel 44 in Adelaide. Channel 31 does hold a special place in the hearts of many Melburnians, and the key, I think, is in the name: community TV. This channel provides a real community service to so many people in our city.

It provides specialised, unique programming that viewers can't find anywhere else. You can get this just from a quick look at the TV guide for Channel 31. There's the multicultural programming: Korean, Chinese, Serbian, Tamil, Macedonian, Indian, Greek, Latin American, African, Sri Lankan, Indonesian and Croatian. There's the very popular fishing programming. I must say I'm not a fisher myself, but I do know how popular this particular part of Channel 31's service is. The shows include Fishing Trips with Skip, Fishingwith Fergy, FishingMad, Savage Seas Adventures and Happy Fisherman Fishing Adventures. That's a group of programs there that I know have a very dedicated audience. There are car shows—again, not something I am personally familiar with, but for many people this is an area of interest, and the shows include All Offroad 4x4 Adventures, Aussie Garage TV and Bumper 2 Bumper. There are many more programs, like Vasili's Garden to Kitchen, Woodworking Masterclass, Creatives on the Couch and Move It or Lose It, all keeping people connected—all giving people interest and connection that they wouldn't otherwise have.

Of course, these programs don't attract ratings at a level that make them a viable proposition for a commercial channel, but they are so important to our community and they all deserve a place for people to be able to tune in and see their passion, their interest, on the television.

I've had direct feedback from people in my community, in Jagajaga, about the value that Channel 31 has for them. Kathy from Greensborough wrote to tell me about the importance that Channel 31 has for her and, she knows, for other Victorians and that it was particularly important during the lockdowns that Melbourne experienced during the COVID pandemic. For Kathy, Channel 31 in fact was an invaluable resource to help her stay active and connected. She said that the morning exercise program for older people is particularly important to her. It's actually part of her routine. Again, as I said, this is a service that is so community based and is valued by so many people in our community.

Another important role that Channel 31 plays in Melbourne is in supporting local news. It provides a training ground for emerging journalists and screen practitioners, including those going through university or TAFE. I have personal experience of this: my first role on TV when I was studying to become a television journalist was on Channel 31. If anyone goes way back to the early 2000s they could find me on Channel 31. I dug around to see if I could find some of my early stories, and I found the VHS tapes but I no longer have a VHS player to play them on! Having that real-life experience of my story go on community television was certainly an invaluable experience for me, and I know there are many more famous people than me who have had their start on Channel 31. It's really important that we continue to give people that training ground which community TV provides.

This is Labor delivering on our election commitment to keep community TV stations Channel 31 Melbourne and Channel 44 Adelaide on air. Community TV adds to media diversity, local news and content. It supports local business and community organisations and, as I said, it provides a much-needed training ground for journalists, producers and the industry talent of the future. This is something that Labor has a proud track record in supporting. For years we have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the community TV sector in fighting to keep them on air. As I noted, some of Australia's most popular media personalities came through Channel 31, like Rove McManus and Hamish and Andy. Rove has said of Channel 31:

What I gained from my Channel 31 experience was collaborating with fellow creative people in a group environment that taught me how to be a host and them how to be producers, camera operators, lighting technicians, set builders and editors.

All of those skills from one place—a real service to the community.

Actor and comedian Nazeem Hussain created two different panel shows on Channel 31: Ramadan TV and Salam Cafe aimed to provide a voice for Muslim Australians. As he said: 'We were sick of seeing Muslims on TV who looked and sounded nothing like the Muslims we knew and hung out with. We were able to make TV that we had never seen before on a channel that is known for being experimental and giving a voice to people who don't have a voice elsewhere.'

Community TV plays a vitally important role as an information and entertainment platform in our diverse migrant communities in Melbourne. It provides religious communities with access to services. I spoke before about the role that Channel 31 played during lockdowns in helping to keep people active, and it also kept religious communities connected by helping people to attend services that they would normally attend in person. They were able to do that through community TV—again, giving people the opportunity to continue their routines and their traditions.

Our government does believe that community television is a vibrant part of Australia 's media landscape, and that's why we fought, and will continue to fight, attempts by those opposite to boot it off air. It was of course Malcolm Turnbull, back in the days when he was still saying how happy he was to be part of Tony Abbott 's team, who told community TV that its time was up. At that time, Malcolm Turnbull did not think it was worth having community TV taking up broadcast spectrum. He suggested that this service, which, as I've explained, is so valuable in so many places to so many diverse members of our community, could be an internet-only service. I will acknowledge that of course the internet plays an ever-expanding role in our lives and in our communities, but a significant number of Australians still use and rely on broadcast TV and radio. People know the routine of turning on their TV and tuning in at a particular time for a particular show. That's what those opposite, under Malcolm Turnbull, were looking to take away from people.

We recognise the importance of this service, and that's why it's so important that this bill is before us today. It reverses the coalition's attempt to send the remaining community TV stations in Melbourne and Adelaide off air in June this year. We will support them to continue to serve their diverse communities. This bill repeals the legislated expiry date for channels 31 and 44, removing the deadline that was legislated by the former Liberal-National government.

I want to pay tribute to community TV itself and its many, many supporters, who I know have run such a hard-fought campaign to make sure that they were in this position today, that they were safe, that they weren't forced off air. Obviously having that date put in legislation by those opposite was very difficult for all of those people, many of them volunteers, who give their time to community TV. They put that work in to provide the service. It was very difficult for them to think that they were about to be forced off air. As I said, it is a tribute to them that we are here today to ensure that community TV stays on air. It's a tribute to the minister, who I know has been a passionate supporter of community TV and has stood with them through this campaign to make sure that the important role they play in communities like mine is recognised and that they can continue to do that work.

This bill gives the two community television operators much more certainty beyond 30 June this year. The audiences of all those programs I listed earlier will continue to have access to these services as the Future of Broadcasting Working Group considers the future of broadcasting in Australia as a whole. The bill also harmonises the code of practice regime for community TV, bringing both existing operators under the definition of the 'same section of industry'. This will allow the development and registration of one code of practice by the peak community television body, the Australian Community Television Alliance, to cover Channels 31 and 44.

As I said, our government values community TV. We want to see it continue. It is a valuable service to so many people in my community. As I said, I have personally benefited from the role that community TV plays in nurturing new talent. For all these reasons, I am so very, very proud to be standing here today supporting it and seeing community television continue to thrive.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I begin by supporting the comments of all three previous speakers, who I think very eloquently demonstrated the importance of the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Television) Bill 2024. I support the legislation and I believe the comments made very well sum up why community television—and, indeed, community broadcasting more broadly—is so important.

As other speakers have said, this legislation delivers on a Labor commitment to keep Channels 31 and 44 going. Whilst I appreciate the comments of the member for Sturt, who said that he also supports this legislation, the reality is that the previous coalition government attempted to close down those channels, and it was only because of the constant campaigning and a commitment by the Labor government and the minister, who is in the chamber with us today, that we now see that those stations will be able to continue.

Community TV and radio are an important sector of our society. Collectively, community radio and TV employ about a thousand people, and some 17,000 volunteers contribute their time to working in community radio and television stations. I know, from speaking to many of them whom I know in Adelaide, that it is something they do with great passion and they enjoy it. It fulfils them, and they would be very disappointed if they weren't able to do it. I understand that there are currently about 500 community radio licences throughout Australia, but there are only two TV licences left. Whilst they serve in a similar way, there are also some critical differences, and I will come to those in a moment.

What's also important with community broadcasting is that 77 per cent of it, I understand, is in regional and remote Australia, places where sometimes reception for the national broadcasters is terribly poor but, even more importantly, the kinds of services that community broadcasting provide would never get any airing whatsoever, because they simply wouldn't be important enough to be transmitted through the major television and radio stations. In that respect, it provides critical services to those communities. The same applies now with Channels 31 and 44. Those channels are able to pick up on programs, services, information and opportunities that the major broadcasters would never, ever engage with and which are yet so important for what I would call niche sectors of society.

We've heard from other speakers to date that those channels provide an opportunity for new talents and careers, whether for actors, performers, newsreaders, producers, camera operators, sound technicians or whatever. If the career is associated with broadcasting, it gives people somewhat of an opportunity to get involved in that industry sector without knowing that they are under scrutiny in a way that would otherwise make it impossible for them to have a go. By having a go, they can then decide whether it's a career they want to pursue. Quite often, because they've had a go, someone notices how good they are and picks them up, ultimately leading to a professional career.

As I've said, it also enables the broadcasting of local news. I often switch on Channel 44 and watch programs I think I would never have known about were it not for Channel 44 being the broadcaster, because those programs are simply not the type that would be relayed through commercial television stations or the like.

There's another area, of course. I noticed the member for Adelaide talked about this at length, and I'm happy to add to it. These stations allow culturally diverse communities to broadcast their programs. Again, they wouldn't get a run on mainstream TV stations, but they do through Channel 44 and Channel 31. That is important. Whilst it might only be a narrow sector of the community who listens and watches, for that narrow sector it's important. For example, on Sunday morning, I attended La Festa di San Giuseppe, or Saint Joseph's Festa, in Adelaide. It was the 52nd year that that festa had been run in the Salisbury community. While it wasn't on Channel 44 in Adelaide, two radio stations of Adelaide—Radio Italiana 531 and Radio Italia Uno 87.6—were both there broadcasting the mass and in fact the whole day's events. Those people who couldn't attend, perhaps due to being in an aged-care home or at home unable to travel, were able to at least feel that they were participating and to know what was going on. Even as I drove away after I attended, because I obviously had to come to Canberra, I tuned into the radio station to listen to what was happening. It gave me a sense that I was still there, even though I wasn't. Many of the people who would have loved to have been there are now aged; they're older people. They simply can't get there. But, through the broadcasting services, they were able to do so. It's even better than listening to the radio if you can see what's happening by switching on the television program on Channel 44 in Adelaide. Both the member for Adelaide and the member for Sturt commented on just how invaluable this all was during the COVID period, when both stations would have been broadcasting to communities live events that would otherwise never have been transmitted.

Another area that I want to touch on with respect to Channel 31, Channel 44 and broadcasting more broadly, including through radio stations, is that broadcasting is important to our democracy. Broadcasting diversity is important to our democracy. We live in a world where too much of the daily news is filtered by and serves the interests of media moguls and sometimes national governments. Depending on which country you're in, both have an effect on what news is relayed and broadcast to the rest of society. That, in my view, is not good for democracy. Others have quite rightly also pointed to the fact that the internet has enabled us to break through much of that. Yes, the internet does serve a purpose. But, as we all know, for most people the simplest thing to do is to switch on either their TV or radio and then choose what they might want to watch. To some extent, those people who know that a particular program is being broadcast on a community radio station will actually do that.

Many years ago, I was involved in setting up one of the local radio stations in the Salisbury area. That station is still going strong after about 40 years, which just shows the importance at the time of getting it going but, more importantly, that it wasn't just a short-term phase of the local community in wanting to have a broadcasting station. Again, that station, like all the others, focuses on many local issues that would never get any airing otherwise.

It's also important because in a democracy we need truthful reporting. It's fundamental to a healthy society. Again, allowing different sectors to come on air and express their points of view about an issue gives everyone a chance to think, 'At least I have now heard the alternative side of the argument,' if there is a contentious issue being debated and so on.

So, for all of those reasons, community broadcasting is, I believe, fundamental and so important. It's why it was brought in in the first place many, many years ago, and it's sad that we only have two stations that are still operating. The previous government, as other speakers have noted, would have been happy to see those close down as well. This legislation does the opposite; it keeps those two television stations going. But, just as importantly, if for some reason the licences need to be terminated, the legislation provides adequate notice and an adequate time to transition out. For all of those reasons, I think this legislation is important. Keeping those stations alive and going is important. I commend the minister for her support of this legislation.

Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just recently I had the honour of representing the Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland, who is in the chamber today, at the awards ceremony for community television in Melbourne. This was an absolutely joyous event. It was a real spectacle, a celebration of diversity, in the broader sense of the word, of people from all walks of life, and a fantastic array of media and entertainment content. It was also a celebration of location, because the content that community television champions is very much local and community focused. The kinds of stories that are told you will just not find on commercial TV. It was also a celebration of our nation's storytellers, musicians, producers and creators. After all, it is community TV that is the training ground for Australia's future media talents, and that was evident on the night. There were young people and older people. When the awards were handed out, there was riotous applause from the crowd. Honestly, it was a lot of fun.

The content that received the awards was diverse. There were migrant offerings, there were motorsports and there were youth takes on politics, for example. That was interesting to see. Our young people are engaging in politics and they are watching what we do in this House. There were shows on fishing, shows celebrating food and wine and, of course, shows on the great Aussie icon, the four-wheel drive, and where it can take you in this country. What was evident is that these young people use community television as a means to hone their skills and spread their wings often to other arenas with a much bigger stage, like commercial TV, either in Australia or internationally.

It is for these reasons that I am very pleased to speak about the reforms being put forward today. The Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Television) Bill 2024 effectively kills the Liberals' kill bill on community TV. Under the previous Liberal government, community TV would have ceased to exist in Melbourne and Adelaide by June of this year. This was part of a campaign to essentially gag and shut down community TV that was waged over many years and that we in the Labor Party fought against.

The bill repeals the legislative expiry date of C31, the channel that I celebrated, and C44 in Adelaide of 30 June. It allows community TV to have the certainty to continue broadcasting into the future. Instead, the bill will replace this expiry date with a new ACMA-led process for determining a future date for when the licences of the remaining community TV channels will cease. So it won't be up to the government of the day, at their whim, to decide when community TV continues or stops. The process will be led by a statutory body, ACMA, that will be held at arm's length from government, and that is a good thing.

I want to see community TV continue to prosper, to broadcast and to suck in our talent from our schools, our universities and our training institutes in order to deliver that talent to much bigger stages. After all, we have a wonderful story to tell in our country, but we need those talented young Australians to enter the media sector and to see it as a future career for themselves, and community TV is a very important stepping stone in that journey.

Labor has a proud legacy of supporting community TV, and for years we have stood shoulder to shoulder with the sector fighting to keep them on air. This reform will enable community TV to thrive for many years to come. I commend this bill to the House.

Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank members who have contributed to the debate on the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Television) Bill 2024. Across the parliament, there is a great level of support for community broadcasting, including for community television. I acknowledge members' support for the sector and its role in the community as well as in the media industry.

The Albanese government recognises that community television services Channel 31 Melbourne and Channel 44 Adelaide provide an important platform for local news and content and local businesses and are training grounds for talent. We want the engaging, informative programs these services create to be accessible for their communities to enjoy over terrestrial broadcast for as long as there is a spectrum available for them to do so. That is why the government is delivering on its promise to keep Channel 31 and Channel 44 on air until an alternative use for the spectrum they currently use is realised.

Over the past decade, there have been multiple amendments to set an expiry date for these services. This has created confusion and uncertainty. The approach set out in the bill reasserts the objectives of broadcasting and radio communications policy and the role that the broadcasting industry and its regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, have in facilitating efficient planning, allocation and use of the spectrum.

The bill replaces the existing reliance on fixed expiry dates with a new framework that affords the broadcasting industry and government flexibility to respond to as yet undetermined future uses of spectrum, while allowing Channel 31 and Channel 44 to have confidence in their own forward planning and decision-making.

The bill will amend the Radiocommunications Act 1992 to provide the ACMA with the power to make available the apparatus licences for both channels until it declares that the spectrum they access is required for other purposes. The ACMA is well placed to make such decisions in accordance with the objectives of law, as the regulator with expertise in spectrum management and broadcast licensing.

When the time comes for these two remaining community television services to vacate the spectrum, the bill ensures they will be granted at least 12 months notice to transition to online platforms. It is expected the government and the ACMA will work with industry in the identification of any new uses for the spectrum and on the eventual transition to other services.

It is important to note the bill does not provide for the ACMA to consider issuing new community television licences. This reflects the ongoing policy intent that the spectrum currently used by Channel 31 and Channel 44 may ultimately be required for other purposes. Without being able to predict when an alternative use for the spectrum will be identified, it is not possible to provide reasonable certainty to prospective new licensees. They could risk dedicating time and resources to applying for a licence and, if successful, investing in broadcasting equipment and other set-up costs only to lose access to the spectrum before they have had time to recoup their investment.

Finally, the bill further streamlines regulatory arrangements for the licensees and the regulator through amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 that will allow for Channel 31 and Channel 44 to operate under the same code of practice. This bill demonstrates the government's support for the staff and volunteers of community television services, as well as our ongoing commitment to facilitating a positive operating environment for all sectors of Australia's broadcasting industry. I commend the bill.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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