Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

And I am pleased that Labor are wowed. This plan heralds an exciting moment for Australian television which will deliver new services and improved technology for consumers. During the transition to digital television, the government’s priority is consumers. We want to ensure that all Australians can enjoy the benefit that digital brings. The government’s plan will guide Australians in making informed choices about digital technology. It will enable digital switch-over to be achieved in a managed, responsible and practical way.

The government will direct more than $20 million over three years to establishing a new body, Digital Australia, to provide advice to consumers and liaise with industry to ensure a successful switch-over to digital between 2010 and 2012. Digital Australia will ensure consumers have access to detailed information about the rollout of digital services in their area, aerial and cabling issues, interference issues and where to go for technical support. It will introduce an easily understood and mandatory system of labelling of digital equipment at point of sale to ensure consumers are not misled about the capacity of the equipment they are buying.

This government will ensure that Australia does reap the benefits of the digital dividend—the benefits that flow to the economy more broadly of freeing up valuable spectrum for better and more effective use, such as more mobile spectrum for digital radio and so on. There are of course significant cost savings from freeing up this spectrum and ending the simulcast and there will be better reception and new services. There will be two brand new digital channels, and the free-to-air broadcasters, including the ABC and SBS, will be able to boost their range of services with additional digital multichannels. ACMA research released last week shows take-up of digital television has more than doubled since 2005 with these estimates showing that 29 per cent of Australian households had adopted free-to-air digital TV. When you take into account the take-up of digital pay TV, the total number of households signed up to digital TV rises to around 41 per cent. Of course, at the same time the basic prices for set-top boxes are continuing to fall.

The Australian government is now investing around a billion dollars in the digital conversion of ABC and SBS, and about $250 million to help regional broadcasters. Ready, get set, go digital will ensure that industry, broadcasters, consumers, technicians and retailers are working together with government to make the transition to digital a smooth one. Digital technology will simply transform the viewer experience so that Australian consumers have the very best that the world has on offer. (Time expired)