Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to also make a contribution on the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Television Switch-over) Bill 2008. I note that it is 58 years since then Prime Minister Robert Menzies first announced the program and process for the introduction of television into Australia. Back in those days few would have thought of the type of impact and reach that television could have, not just in Australian society but in society throughout the world, or how reliant on television we would become for our news, for our entertainment, for lifestyle, sport, leisure and so many key facets, from education right through all realms of society. I am advised that the word ‘television’ is derived from both Latin and Greek origins. I am far from a scholar in either of those languages, but I am advised that it means far sight. Certainly far sight or farsightedness is what is required in seeing an appropriate transition to digital television, particularly through the passage of this legislation.

This bill contains a number of key facets. Of utmost importance in the bill is facilitating a power for the minister to ensure switch-over dates for key local markets, to essentially end simulcasting of both analog and digital signals into those key markets and instead see a digital-only signal. As the house has already heard, the minister has announced a schedule of switch-over dates, commencing in Mildura and working right through until 2013 for those regions to be switched over. The coalition, as Senator Minchin has indicated, support the broad thrust of this legislation and we recognise that it is very important to so many Australians to get this right.

The bill also requires two statutory reviews, one related to the potential for a new commercial television licence to be issued and the other relating to content and captioning rules in Australia. We welcome this because it in a sense brings to an end what has been a period of some smoke and mirrors from the government in relation to digital television switch-over and transition. When the new minister was appointed after last year’s election, he found himself the subject of the razor gang early on. One of the early victims of the government’s razor gang was Digital Australia, the agency headed by Andy Townend which was tasked with ensuring the smooth transition for Australia to a digital television framework. Minister Tanner and others lauded the savings that were going to be reached through the abolition of Digital Australia, and we were all led to believe that this was the end of those areas of expenditure and the government would be finding a cheaper and a better way to do it. Lo and behold, a few months pass by and we see the development of the Digital Switchover Taskforce. We see that it is headed by Mr Andy Townend, the same person who was heading Digital Australia, somebody who, I have confidence, from his experience in the UK and elsewhere, is doing no doubt an excellent job in ensuring the switch-over process is handled correctly. The taskforce has been given allocations to ensure a smooth switch-over occurs, as it should, but in doing so we have seen those budget savings evaporate and simply be transferred. It is a nice smoke-and-mirrors trick to be able to say, ‘We have budget savings,’ and to be able to theoretically axe an agency but then in fact simply rebuild it elsewhere within the department.

This bill gives us a clear pathway to transition. It lets us know what Mr Townend and the taskforce will be doing to help Australians ensure that they can continue to enjoy the type of services that they have in the past in relation to television, and indeed much better ones, because the potential provided by digital knows few bounds in many ways and provides great opportunities for Australians to see new services and new opportunities on their television platforms.

I say it is important to get this right because, as I said at the outset, so many Australians rely on their televisions. The late great Groucho Marx was quoted as saying that he found television very educating: ‘Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.’ But obviously for many Australians that is far from the case as they come to rely on television as a key part of their evening entertainment, their education and otherwise. However, as of 11 April this year, only some 41.8 per cent of Australian households actually had the facilities and the technology to receive digital television. If subscription or pay television take-up is included in that, some 54 per cent of households had such services. That is a significant growth over the last few years that has seen Australians reach out and ensure that they do have access to digital television. I put on the record my praise particularly for the ABC, which I think has played a very key role in this through ABC2 and its promotion of that profile. Indeed that is so, if personal experience is anything to go by, because my partner’s aunt had us out a few weeks ago buying her a new television set because she wanted to watch ABC2. So I recognise that indeed new product is a key driver of the take-up and has been a key driver of that take-up over the last months and years. Of course, with the launch of the new Free TV platform by the commercial stations recently, we expect to see even further take-up of digital television right across Australia in years to come.

Nonetheless, that does not get us away from the fact that, without pay TV included, in April this year only a little over 40 per cent of Australian households had the technology to receive digital television. Without that technology, when the switch-over date comes they will not be able to receive a signal. That is the cold, hard truth. That is why the parliament needs to get this right. I am sure the minister would not want to be the minister for communications when tens of thousands of Australians go to switch on their television sets and discover that there is no signal anymore. I am quite sure that is the last thing the minister wants, so I know he is as eager as the coalition and the Liberal Party, which started the process towards digital television, to ensure that we get this switch-over process right. That is why, as Senator Minchin outlined, it is our intent to support the principle that Free TV Australia enunciated during the Senate committee inquiry into this bill. I pay tribute to the witnesses, those who made submissions to the inquiry and, indeed, our staff on the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts, who, as always, did an outstanding job in assisting us through this issue.

Free TV rightly argued that there needs to be some form of readiness criteria. It is one thing for the minister to say we will have a switch-off date, one thing for there to be a cut-off date out there—and I understand the logic of trying to work towards that cut-off date and to do so in a manner that gives people a clear deadline by which to make the switch-over themselves—but, equally, we believe there needs to be a greater level of transparency from the government as to what they believe would be acceptable when Mildura, as the first region, is cut off and other regions are subsequently cut off from receiving an analog signal.

Free TV argued that 95 per cent of households should have the technology, facilities and resources to receive a signal before the switch-off occurs in a particular region or, as the bill defines it, ‘local market area’. The coalition are not being that prescriptive, and I am sure Senator Minchin, in the committee stage, will speak in more detail to the amendments that we seek to move. We are seeking, however, for the minister to have publicly available readiness criteria to ensure, as far as possible, that broadcast services achieve the same level of coverage and reception quality after the switch-over as was available previously, that households that previously received free-to-air coverage in analog mode continue to receive it in digital mode and that adequate measures have been taken to support those households, particularly those who can least afford to convert.

As I indicated, it is not our intent to prescribe, but it is our belief that the minister, with the work of the Digital Switchover Taskforce in the department, should set out some key readiness criteria against which each region and local market area can be assessed so that we know and have confidence that the switch-off will not unduly harm large numbers of Australians as this region-by-region process unfolds. More important than what we know is that people in the regions know and have confidence that they will not be disadvantaged through the switch-off process. I would urge the government to consider and support the coalition amendments when they are debated, because they will strengthen this process. They will strengthen the faith that people can have in the process and ensure that there is confidence across all of Australia that large numbers of individual households will not be disadvantaged during the switch-over.

There are a couple of other, broader issues. The minister, I know, is well aware of the specific challenges facing high-density dwellings such as apartment blocks in areas like the Gold Coast and some of the technical challenges of ensuring that switch-over occurs there. I know that some funding has been made available to address those technical challenges. I welcome that and look forward to the government ensuring that building owners and the residents in those types of dwellings are confident that they will be able to receive the signal they expect.

Senator Ludlam has rightly highlighted, as did Senator Minchin, the importance of this for community broadcasters. I too have received representations from community television broadcasters in my home state of South Australia. I am aware of the pressures they face at present. As increasing numbers of households switch to buying digital televisions, community broadcasters face the risk that, as they currently only have funding to broadcast an analog signal, over time they will lose their market share. I urge the government to resolve the issue with community broadcasters as soon as possible to ensure that they receive the funding necessary to allow them to make the transition to the digital television platform.

I also note the challenges for remote areas that Senator Ludlam spoke of and recognise that in regional and remote areas it will be equally important for the government to apply specific policy measures that allow broadcasters and communities to receive the types of signals that are required and not to be disadvantaged during this process.

In terms of disadvantage, can I finally reflect on one of the two statutory reviews that the government has highlighted, the review into content and captioning. Whilst I recognise that the intent of this is to ensure that broadcasters with the new multichannelling that will be and is available to them on the digital platform continue to provide the types of services that Australians rightly expect in terms of the languages available, the range of children’s programs and standards across those multichannels, it is equally important to make sure that we do not disadvantage those regional broadcasters who have to make the switch first. The risk in bringing forward this review of content and captioning requirements is, of course, that those regional broadcasters could find themselves on the digital platform and having to adhere to certain standards before those standards apply elsewhere. That would be nonsensical. In undertaking this review, should there be—as I expect there would be—some changes made to the requirements, I urge the government to have those changes not take effect until closer to 2013, when all regions, all local market areas, will have made the switch-over.

In closing, I urge the government to consider the issues raised. I think this is an issue about which all members of the Senate are as one in hoping that Australia gets this right. We hope that the digital transition is a success—that Australians get to enjoy the enormous potential benefits provided by digital television and that the continued evolution of television in Australian society is a positive one. But we also hope that it is not done in a manner that creates risk or harm, be it to regional broadcasters, to people in high-density dwellings, to those less fortunate who may not be able to afford the equipment required to make the transition or to regions where take-up is somewhat slower than elsewhere. We need to have confidence that they are ready before switch-off occurs. I urge the government to consider and accept the amendments that the coalition will be moving so that we can all support the bill with confidence.