Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Time is short as we approach the end of the legislative year. Because of the mismanagement of the program by the government, we are being asked to keep our remarks to a minimum. My colleagues Senator Birmingham and Senator Eggleston have both given the background to the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Television Switch-over) Bill 2008. I congratulate Senator Coonan, the former Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, for getting the digital television program on its way. It is good to see the current government continuing that enthusiasm. I speak as one who has for several years had a set-top box on my television set. In Townsville, in regional Northern Australia, where I come from, all three commercials have been ready for high-definition digital television for some time. We have the benefit of the second ABC channel even in the north of Australia, where I live.

I did raise with the minister at estimates the situation where the first area to be required to go fully digital is one region in Victoria, which, I understand, has the greatest number of set-top boxes already installed. I also understand from estimates that the second region is my home region of Townsville in North Queensland. I expressed the concern that there was a cost being put onto Townsville residents—the cost of acquiring a set-top box or a new television—at an early stage and which would not be imposed upon city viewers until two or three years later. I understand that the commercial television stations in the north and elsewhere are very keen to have the analog switch-off as soon as possible. They are very keen to avoid the cost of simulcasting in both analog and digital, and I appreciate that that is an issue for the station owners.

I suspect that, when push comes to shove, most people will spend the money on the set-top box. I was in Crazy Clark’s the other day—and I will speak softly so that I do not interrupt Minister Conroy’s slumber, Mr Acting Deputy President Marshall; I will keep my voice down—which is one of those stores that sell cheaper goods, and I think I saw a set-top box there for $28. I am not quite sure what the quality would be like, but certainly the price of a decent set-top box now is much less than it was when I bought one a couple of years ago. So, hopefully, people will be able to be involved.

One of the things that concern me, though, is that there will be black spots. Unfortunately, while ACMA did have an office in Townsville for many years, I understand, through estimates, that that is about to be shut down, and five people who used to work at the ACMA office in Townsville will now be relocated to Brisbane. So there will not be anyone on the spot to deal with black-spot issues, which do occur in all parts of Australia, I am sure. In Townsville it is because of Castle Hill and Mount Stuart and other intervening physical features. A lot of work does need to be done to ensure that all residents are eligible to get a television signal. With the early move to a digital-only signal in Townsville, I think it is very important that the minister and the government ensure that there is a process in place whereby black spots can be, first of all, identified and confirmed and then addressed, and I would be interested to hear the minister’s views on this. It is of course something that we will continue to pursue through estimates.

Apart from that, as my colleagues have mentioned, the coalition does support the bill—with the amendment to be moved by Senator Minchin, which is a very sensible and worthwhile amendment and one which I urge the Senate to support when it comes up in the committee stage.