Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ronaldson for his question and for his ongoing interest in the provision of quality media services to Australian consumers. I think we would all agree that the emergence of digital television is the biggest innovation to hit the box since we moved from black-and-white to colour. I do wish free-to-air TV a happy 50th birthday—which they will be celebrating later this week. Digital of course will mean new and innovative services for consumers and will provide an opportunity for the free-to-air and national broadcasters to augment their offerings with new services over digital multichannels. However, just as we were during the introduction of pay TV in Australia, the government is mindful of ensuring that sporting events of national significance are still available to Australian consumers on free-to-air TV.

The antisiphoning scheme for sports rights is an important consumer safeguard. While digital television take-up is still relatively low, around 20 per cent, the rationale for this safeguard remains. Therefore when I announced the recent package of media reforms to transition Australia to digital switchover, it contained a commitment to retaining and improving the operation of the antisiphoning scheme. When limited multichannelling is introduced in 2007 and 2009, both the free-to-air commercial broadcasters and the two national broadcasters will be prohibited from showing antisiphoning sport on their multichannels unless it has been shown on their main channel first. The government will also implement a ‘use it or lose it’ scheme which will be introduced from 1 January 2007. The scheme will ensure that the sports rules, the antisiphoning rules, do not have the perverse effect of reducing rather than increasing the total availability of sport to consumers. The government will also review the scheme’s operation and the continuing rationale for its existence in 2009, prior to the expiration of the current list at the end of 2010.

I was asked about some alternative policies and I have to say that, while this government works to ensure that Australians are able to watch sports on free-to-air television, and as much sport as they possibly can—