Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The government recognises that some people may require practical assistance to switch over to digital TV. That is why we have put in place a household assistance scheme. The scheme will at no cost to eligible households supply, install and demonstrate a set-top box specifically chosen to meet the needs of the elderly and those with a disability and will conduct any necessary cabling and antenna work. The scheme commenced in the Mildura TV licensed area on 18 January this year. As of last Friday, 19 February, more than 1,200 appointments had been made through Centrelink for accredited installers to provide assistance under the scheme to households in the Mildura-Sunraysia district. Those installers have already completed 712 installations under the household assistance program in the Mildura-Sunraysia region. (Time expired)