Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Radio is an important service that has been providing information and entertainment to Australians for over 90 years. In government, Labor introduced digital radio in Australia to supplement rather than replace traditional analogue AM and FM services. Digital radio offers many features and benefits including enhanced choices of stations, clear reception, exceptional sound quality, song and artist information, and pause and rewind functionality.

In order to receive digital radio services, Australians need a digital receiver or a device with a digital audio broadcasting DAB+ chip in it. Digital radio services from commercial radio broadcasters and national broadcasters have been operating in the metropolitan licence areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth since 1 July 2009 as well as in Canberra and Darwin on a trial basis. The rollout of digital radio across regional Australia involves significant cost and complexity, and it's been planned by the Digital Radio Planning Committee for Regional Australia. This committee was formed in September 2015 following a federal government review into digital radio.

The Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Bill 2017 stems from reforms identified by the completed statutory authority reviews of digital radio. The measures in this bill arise from consultation with the key digital radio industry stakeholders and recommendations contained in the digital radio report following the completion of statutory reviews of digital radio. One of the digital radio report's recommendations was that the government consider minor amendments to the existing digital radio regulatory regime to create a simpler, more flexible process for the planning and licensing of digital radio in regional Australia.

The bill contains a package of measures designed to simplify the digital radio framework and help expedite the rollout of digital radio to regional Australia by shortening legislatively prescribed time frames associated with the rollout and removing unnecessary or redundant steps in the digital radio rollout process.

The measures in the bill are further steps towards implementation of the recommendation to simplify and improve the operation of the digital radio framework and also address issues that were identified by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, more commonly known as ACMA, and the planning committee. Labor supports these measures and Labor supports this bill. We are keen for more Australians to enjoy the benefits of digital radio in regional Australia.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank senators for their contribution to the bill and for their support and I commend the bill to the Senate.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.