Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

A point of order, says the member for Blair. But in Townsville we also want to see the Townsville Blackhawks beat the PNG Hunters in high definition and win the Intrust Super Cup, and to see the Townsville Fire and the Townsville Crocodiles in high definition. We want to see those things, but we also want to see these things go.

This bill amends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to allow free-to-air broadcasters to deliver programming on their primary television service in either standard definition or high definition formats; currently, free-to-air broadcasters are required to transmit their primary service in standard definition. This reform arose, as I said, from the review of the digital television framework that was conducted in 2014-15. The proposal received strong support from free-to-air broadcasters and the general public. Of course the general public is going to be right on this, and it will be good if we can get this.

Each free-to-air broadcaster has a specified television service as their primary service for the purpose of meeting the regulatory obligations. These obligations relate to matters such as Australian content, captioning and anti-siphoning. The primary services include Channel Nine, Channel Seven, Channel Ten and the main ABC and SBS television channels, and primary services generally attract higher audiences than multichannels. The requirement for broadcasters to provide their primary service in standard definition was introduced at the start of the digital switchover, over 10 years ago. At that time not all television set-top boxes, as I said, were capable of receiving those.

Does this bill require broadcasters to provide their primary service in high definition? No, it does not. Broadcasters will not be required to broadcast their primary service in high definition; they will have the option of providing the service in standard definition or high definition. So it is up to us, the population in our regional centres, to make sure that we are putting as much pressure as possible on Channel Seven, Channel Nine, Channel Ten and the rest to make sure that they are putting it through on high definition—especially if we can do it for September-October, with the football finals coming up and coming into another cricket season where, hopefully, we will not capitulate in a two-day test again. We will be using a decent cricket ball this time, instead of those dodgy cricket balls that they use in England that are shaped like an egg. But I do not think that is parliamentary.

The reform will provide broadcasters with greater flexibility to make decisions about the types of services they offer in response to consumer demand. Greater access to newer technology is driving consumer expectations that free-to-air broadcasters transmit higher quality content. As we go around the world and as the world gets smaller and smaller, we understand that we want this stuff and we are capable of receiving this stuff in the best possible format that we can have. High-definition content is available to pay TV services such as Foxtel and streaming services such as Netflix. While free-to-air broadcasters provide high-definition content on their multichannels, they are currently prevented from providing their primary channels, which are often the highest rating channels, in high definition.

While I have got us on this topic, I would really like to address the basic issue of this campaign that is going around about 'save our local news services'. When WIN News in Townsville approached me and asked, 'Do you support local journalism and local news services?' my answer was, 'Of course I do.' But, when we have a situation where the two-out-of-three rule, the reach rule and all the things around media reform are in play, I feel some of the executives in the TV stations are in their space for nothing other than self-interest and trying to get the best possible value for their company and that sort of thing—which is what they are paid to do. When I come to speak to the Minister for Communications about my local news services, I do not come at it out of any altruistic goal; I come at it purely out of self-interest. I come at it because it is every bit as important to Townsville that the football from the weekend—Centrals versus the Burdekin, or Herbert River in the grand final next weekend, going up against the Burdekin—is on our news. If we lose our local news, our local sport goes with it. Our local people and our local stories go with it.

When you look at local news on a regional level, you can see it is not just about 'what bleeds leads'—it is not just about fires and road accidents. It is about the texture of our society. I think that is what regional news is all about, and the roles that the journalists and the camera crews and our regional news play in providing that service are so hugely important to the fabric of our society—to be able to get a story up about what our local council is doing, to be able to get a story up about what is happening in a local park, or to get a story up to tell people that it is magpie season and that we have to watch out, because these are the things that matter to our community. If we lose our local TV news then we lose that service, and we are never going to get a run out of Channel Seven on a national news service. We are going to be in a spot where we are being held over a barrel. If we lose it—if WIN TV is going to say, 'We are no longer prepared to run this service'—then I want it to be said that I have done everything I can in that space to make sure that we have done what we can as a parliament to make sure that we can save these services, because they are every bit as important. I see the member for Blair sitting down there. He gets The Queensland Times. The Queensland Times is a great local newspaper, but it carries what is important to Ipswich and its surrounds. The Townsville Bulletin is a great local newspaper; the only problem with it is that it does not do exactly what I ask it to all the time.

The transition that newspapers and print media have had over the years with the divergence of online news and internet and that sort of thing is what TV, including regional TV, is going through right now.

There are massive challenges out there. When you put it up there in relation to the NBN, people say they want NBN purely so they can access Netflix. Is Netflix really a luxury or a necessity? It is a necessity. Have you seen free-to-air television? It is slightly disingenuous but very much a matter of self-interest. When it comes to my local community and what we want out of broadcasting, our newspapers and radio, we want what is local. The highest rating program on our local TV stations is the news. It has always been said if you win your news, you set up your evening's viewing. I do not know what is actually going on in that space.

What we in this place have to be able to do is ensure that every TV station that broadcasts in Townsville is given the opportunity to broadcast its specific programs or its major content in high definition. I would ask that the free-to-air TV stations covering the football finals ensure, as soon as is humanly possible, that we are at least receiving sport and documentaries in high definition. I do not think that is too much to ask.

I applaud the government in removing this red tape. This is now superfluous legislation. I do appreciate the effort of people like Cam Laird, in Townsville, in raising this issue with me and ensuring that I was following it up. When people in Townsville ask us stuff, we as members in this place go to our ministers and leadership and ensure that, if we can do something, we do.

This is a great bit of legislation; it is common sense legislation. I hope that we are able to watch the football finals where North Melbourne will be playing Fremantle for a glorious win by the Shinboners in the AFL and that the Cowboys come through for a maiden premiership this year, all in high definition and all in Townsville! I thank the House.

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