Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I cannot hear the questioner because of the interruptions coming from my left.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President; I will start again. Can the minister update the Senate on the government’s plans to switch Australia from analog to digital television, including which region will be the first to make the switch?

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

I thank Senator McEwen for her ongoing interest in this portfolio area. The switch-over to digital TV is important to Australians as it provides audiences with improved picture and sound quality and greater program choice. The switch-over will also free up scarce spectrum, delivering what is known as the digital dividend. This realised spectrum could be used for a range of next-generation communications technologies, including wireless broadband, telephone and broadcasting services, bringing benefits to all Australians.

In order to realise the benefits to be gained from digital television switch-over, the government is working to implement a detailed plan for the phased region by region switch-over of digital television. Soon after coming to office in December 2007, the government announced a firm date for the digital switch-over: 31 December 2013. A firm switch-over timetable is important to give certainty to industry and consumers and to give them time to plan and prepare for the switch-over.

In October 2008 I announced a region-by-region switch-over timetable which will further enable industry and viewers to plan for the switch-over. Under the government’s phased switch-over timetable, the first region to make the switch to digital-only television will be the Mildura-Sunraysia region in the first half of 2010.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Have you ever been there?

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

Yes, I have. I went there and launched the package, Senator Bernardi, but thank you for your question. The switch-over of the Mildura-Sunraysia region is a pilot program, and the lessons learnt there will be applied as we roll out digital switch-over across the nation. Unlike the previous government, the Rudd government recognises the importance of digitalisation and the benefits that taking our broadcasting industry to the 21st century can bring. We are committed to a digital future.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister tell us what the government is doing to support the switchover in Mildura-Sunraysia?

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

Earlier this year I launched a $13.6 million pilot program to support the switchover process in the Mildura-Sunraysia region, including by providing satellite services in areas of signal deficiencies and an assistance package to help eligible households switch to digital. Under the pilot program, assistance will be given to every household in which one resident is the recipient of the full age pension, disability support pension, carer payment or an equivalent payment from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Every household in the Mildura-Sunraysia region that falls into one of these categories will receive a free high-definition set-top box which will be fully installed for them by an accredited technician. The assistance package will commence six months before the switchover date, and the pilot program also includes the establishment of a new satellite service which, with the cooperation of regional broadcasters, will extend viewer access to digital TV throughout the Mildura licence area. (Time expired)

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister also tell us how the pilot package for Mildura-Sunraysia has been received by the local community?

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

The government’s digital switchover pilot program was welcomed by the people of Mildura-Sunraysia when I announced it in January this year. At a meeting in Mildura with local councillors and representatives of various community groups from the region, the enthusiasm for the government’s program was obvious. I am pleased to have been joined by the member for Mallee, Mr John Forrest, on the day of the announcement in Mildura. Mr Forrest was also excited about the package being delivered to his region, quoted in the newspapers as saying that Mildura ‘would be the first region to arrive in the 21st century of television broadcasting’. After years of inaction by those opposite, I am pleased that Mr Forrest recognises that this government is indeed bringing 21st-century broadcasting to Australians. (Time expired)

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.