Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was absolutely amazed when the Conondale Valley Association in the Sunshine Coast hinterland came to me and pointed out to me that in 2009 they were unable to obtain free-to-air television without the community putting in $10,000 a year to maintain the cost of a repeater station that was installed with the support of the former Howard government a number of years ago. The Conondale Valley Association is situated in an area only about an hour’s drive from the CBD of Brisbane, and yet, ironically, this area, which is part of the Sunshine Coast council area, is deemed to be in Brisbane for television purposes. Indeed, without the repeater station the only signal that could be received was a very grey signal from Toowoomba, quite a considerable distance away. All of the members of the community very strongly supported the fact that there ought to be free-to-air television in Conondale and surrounding areas in 2009. The public meeting I went to was reasonably fiery, but all sectors of the community were there—the farming community, those who are on an environmental estate were there as well—and I was really impressed with the way the community was prepared to work very well together in relation to this matter.

I suggested that the Conondale Valley Association ought to appoint a couple of people to accompany me to meetings with Channel 7 Sunshine Coast and WIN Television Sunshine Coast with a view to seeing whether these television stations were able to assist. While we received a good hearing from WIN Television, Channel 7 immediately came to support the local community, even though technically Conondale was not within the coverage area of Channel 7 Sunshine Coast. Channel 7 Sunshine Coast has provided $20,000, which is about two-thirds of the money needed to carry the community forward until full digital switch-over in a couple of years time when the television networks will be legally obligated to provide 100 per cent coverage to all parts of the Australian community.

Members of parliament and media organisations often get justifiable criticism. I do want to place on record my appreciation to Channel 7 Sunshine Coast for the way in which they were prepared to look at the problem of this small local community—the 500 houses which, without the repeater station, would be without coverage. They were prepared to put their hand in their pocket even though the advertising revenue they would receive from this small community would be quite minimal.

I salute Channel 7 Sunshine Coast and on behalf of the Conondale community and more widely the Sunshine Coast community I thank them for being a very good public citizen and for providing this $20,000 to make sure that the Conondale and surrounding community is able to receive free-to-air television in 2009.