Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Settlement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was recently contacted by senior executives of the Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ 102.1 FM. They raised a concern regarding funding for the community radio sector's Digital Radio Project. The government's May 2012 budget allocation of $2.2 million per year over four years falls short by approximately $1.4 million per year of the amount needed to ensure the future viability of this sector. This is despite the independent review conducted by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in 2011 which confirmed that the required operating amount was closer to $3.6 million per year.

The Digital Radio Project has enabled community radio to transition across the digital stream. But with reduced funding the transmission reach of services will now be limited. Under threat is the new digital radio service Z-Digital, provided by Fortitude Valley based 4ZZZ, along with the new digital services provided by other Brisbane based community broadcasters, which include global 4EB, Switch Digital, 4MBS, Inspire and 4AAA. But according to recent Senate estimates, the government is well aware that if the $1.4 million shortfall is not made up then the community broadcast services will be affected and some services may go off the air. Community radio has an important role to play in providing a range of voices and opinions to make sure that they are heard. This is vital for an effective democracy and to support the rich cultural diversity of our community.