Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There has been much fanfare about—and you will have seen the ads on TV informing the public about this—the fact that between 2010 and 2013 analog free-to-air TV signals are being switched off and replaced with digital only signals. However, when many constituents of the Pearce electorate switch on their TVs, even now but particularly in 2013, all that will greet them will be the sound of silence. While they have done the right thing by either purchasing a digital set-top box or upgrading their televisions, residents of the northern coastal towns of Lancelin and Nilgen will be without signals.

The Shire of Gingin has a retransmission station transmitting only an analog signal. Some $250,000 is required for them to upgrade to a high definition signal, a sum of money that very few local governments could afford. The shire installed a self-help television retransmission tower in 1990 in an attempt to boost the weak signals received from the local free-to-air television stations. This tower has helped, but the shire staff still get monthly complaints about poor TV reception. I have seen it for myself; it really is appalling. Residents have told me that they do not know from day to day if they will be able to view some channels, so poor is the reception. The constant question now asked of the Shire of Gingin is: when is it going to install a digital television tower? I visited this community recently, and the major issue in the region was the lack of television reception.

On 8 May 2009, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy commented that the change to digital was a simple process. While that may be the case for the majority of people living in metropolitan areas, it is certainly not the case in parts of rural and regional Australia such as the electorate of Pearce, where they are finding this switch near impossible. The digital switchover taskforce within the minister’s department is responsible for coordinating and overseeing Australia’s transition to digital from analog television. The blackspot report will certainly identify those areas affected. I encourage the minister to consider the coastal community of Nilgen as a priority.

These people do not have a postal service; they do not get newspapers delivered—they have to get in a car. If you are old, it is almost impossible to have any form of communication. So I see this as a great priority. Imagine having no postal deliveries, no newspapers available and not being able to access television. There are quite a number of residents living up in this area and I would encourage the government to address the problem. (Time expired)