Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Community television in South Australia and Victoria plays a fundamental role in our media landscape. During the pandemic it was there for South Australians, providing content, particularly religious services in language, meaning that communities in Adelaide and across South Australia and Victoria had access to this vital form of community connection when they were no longer able to attend services and no longer able to connect with their communities in person.

In so many ways, community television reflects our local community in South Australia and the local community in Victoria. It provides opportunities and platforms for volunteers to learn their skills, develop and grow. It covers all the major events in South Australia. Community television is there for us in the difficult times, but it's also there to celebrate everything which is good about South Australia and Victoria.

That's why I fought so hard for community television when the former coalition government cruelly sought to kick it off air, despite it not costing them a single cent to allow them to continue broadcasting in Victoria and South Australia and despite their not having any other use for the part of the spectrum that community television occupies. It was an ideological attack on community television from a political party which just didn't get or value its contribution to our communities.

I am very pleased to say that the Albanese Labor government is introducing legislation in the other place which will give community television security and transparency in the future. That is all they have been asking for—the ability to continue the amazing community based work and service that they provide in South Australia and Victoria. I am a huge supporter of all that they do, and I am pleased that under our government we will end these crazy ideological attacks and give them the security that they deserve.