Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Bill 2008 contains three amendments to the legislative arrangements supporting the introduction of digital radio services in Australia and is supported by the coalition. The coalition, when in government, provided the policy initiative and legislative framework to enable the introduction of digital radio in Australia. At that time, the Labor opposition were somewhat reluctant to support the digital future for radio, but we welcome their realisation of the potential of this technology.

Digital radio will provide significant benefits for Australian radio listeners and broadcasters. The coalition government announced in October 2005 the policy framework for the introduction of digital radio and, in May 2007, the parliament approved legislation, guided through this place by Senator Coonan, to implement the coalition’s policy framework for the introduction of digital radio services in Australia. That legislation provided amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, the Radiocommunications Act 1992 and the Trade Practices Act 1974 to enable the licensing, planning and regulation of digital radio services. It provided sufficient powers for the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to undertake such activities.

In the 2007-08 budget, the coalition government delivered funding to enable the national and wide coverage community broadcasting stations to commence digital radio services in the six state capital markets by 1 January 2009. Under that budget, $2.7 million was committed over three years to enable ACMA to undertake necessary digital planning and licensing activities to allow for the introduction of digital radio services. So in government the coalition was committed to the introduction of digital radio and ensuring the appropriate legislative and financial support for digital radio.

The bill we are considering today provides three further changes to this framework. The bill extends the deadline for commercial broadcasters to commence digital radio services in the mainland state capital cities by six months to 1 July next year. That measure will of course provide further flexibility to broadcasters. While there have been no impediments for many of the commercial broadcasters in major capital cities, the extension of time will allow for any delays in transmission equipment and installation to be overcome. Importantly, the bill also removes the requirement for digital radio services to commence in Hobart by the extended deadline of 1 July next year. Hobart’s commercial radio broadcasters have expressed their strong concerns about the timeline for their operating market. So the amendment reclassifies Hobart as a regional licence carrier for the digital radio framework, allowing broadcasters in that city to have the opportunity to commence digital radio services at the same time as other markets of comparable size. Like other regional licence areas for digital radio, commencement will occur in Hobart at a date specified by the minister under the Broadcasting Services Act, and the coalition supports that measure.

The third measure of the bill will provide for the community broadcasting sector to participate in the ownership of transmission infrastructure. The amendment reflects the original policy intent of the coalition government’s previous legislation to allow the community radio sector to participate in the joint venture companies that manage the transmission of their services. The community radio sector was unable to claim a share in joint venture companies that were formed to bid for multiplex licences and own digital radio transmission infrastructure due to the government deferring the requisite funding. This is acknowledged in the second reading speech of the bill as a reason for this particular amendment. The coalition government was committed to providing the financial support for the national and community broadcasters to participate in the initial phase of digital radio. The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia is optimistic, and we hope this optimism is not ill-founded, that the Labor government will provide funding in the 2009-10 budget context to facilitate that participation. It was disappointing that the Labor government failed to provide certainty in the budget context for community broadcasters this year, and the coalition calls on the government to meet their commitment to community broadcasters as soon as possible.

On behalf of the coalition, I want to thank the members and the staff of the Senate Standing Committee on the Environment, Communications and the Arts for their work in conducting a short but important and useful inquiry into this bill. The coalition looks forward to the opportunities for broadcasters and listeners that will result from the transition to digital radio and commends the bill to the Senate.