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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-06-17 Daily Xml
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Community Television

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. T. A. Franks:

That this council—

1. Congratulates Adelaide's community TV media broadcaster, Channel 44, for covering South Australian stories, social and cultural activities, showcasing talent and creating employment and hands-on training opportunities for the local screen sector for the past 15 years;

2. Expresses concern that, while community television has always been self-funded, the past six years of instability caused by both short-term and often last-minute extensions on their licence have made Channel 44's financial stability and forward planning unduly challenging;

3. Expresses disappointment that the federal government intends to switch off community television in Australia from 30 June this year;

4. Notes that allowing continued access to the spectrum comes at no budgetary cost and that no alternative use has been planned for the spectrum but that, without an ongoing and stable free-to-air licence, Channel 44's partnerships and training opportunities will be lost; and

5. Maintains that there is significant public benefit to Channel 44's continuance on the local airwaves and urges the Federal Minister for Communications to urgently provide a five-year commitment to the spectrum, while it is not in use, for Channel 44 so that South Australia can keep local TV.

(Continued from 8 April 2020.)

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (17:58): I rise to support this motion, because the last months have proven to be challenging for everyone, but it has also highlighted the importance of strong communities. Our community spirit between neighbours, volunteers and not-for-profit organisations has kept our state strong in the face of adversity.

However, does a Liberal government agree with this perception? After the decision to switch off community television on 30 June this year, many feel that the Liberal government does not value community services in our community. For Channel 44 here in Adelaide, this decision will be detrimental.

For over 15 years, Channel 44 has been providing an essential community service for many South Australians, whether you are part of the arts, love local sport or are just interested in learning more about stick insects (as I have discovered with my children), there are stories for everyone on Channel 44. When they are really desperate for talent, they will call out for talent from politicians. Our Time, a segment on Channel 44, with Malcolm and Janice, is in its eighth year of production, and I had the pleasure of meeting Malcolm and Janice last year.

Their enthusiasm for the platform community television provides is infectious, but their segment is far from a two-person show. When you arrive at the station, you are greeted by a team of volunteers who have given up their night at home. They do this because they not only believe but they see the benefits of giving voice to the community to share their stories, stories that would otherwise not be told.

Channel 44 has given the state an alternative to the mainstream, and at times sensationalised, stories, championing everyday South Australians and giving voice to those who would usually be sidelined by the larger broadcasters. Channel 44 has become one of the few places where the little stories that are so important to our communities are shared and given the time and significance that they deserve.

Much like community newspapers, where I used to work, Channel 44 provides an essential, localised and relatable perspective. I have seen firsthand the love, care and passion that Channel 44 volunteers pour into their programming. The station is mostly run by a large group of hardworking volunteers who believe wholeheartedly in the service they provide to the community. Allowing students to gain important skills and experience in journalism and broadcasting, community television like Channel 44 has given a leg up to so many new journalists in our community.

With social distancing and restrictions, Channel 44 has also been there for South Australians. Stories have been beamed into households to connect people to the community. For a large group of the South Australian Greek community, not being able to attend their usual Greek Easter church services earlier this year would have been devastating. Thankfully, and due to the work of Channel 44 and the member for West Torrens, the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis, the Easter service was broadcast live to thousands celebrating Greek Easter, to keep this tradition and important calendar day alive.

This is just one example that shows how important it is that Channel 44 remains just that—a television channel. I would like to thank the Hon. Tammy Franks for introducing this motion into the state parliament and the member for Badcoe from the other place, Jayne Stinson. I would also like to thank my friend Amanda Rishworth, the federal member for Kingston, and other federal Labor colleagues who have championed and are fighting for our local essential community services like Channel 44.

The Liberal government still does not have a planned alternative use for the broadcast spectrum that community television stations like Channel 44 occupy. To put it simply, it would be a shame and a waste to all South Australians to have their community stations switched off and even worse to have them switched off with no specific reason. Now more than ever we need to protect our essential community services. It is the strength of our community bonds that has kept South Australia close while social distancing restrictions have been in place. When we look back on our state's history, the sharing of these little stories will not seem so little anymore. They will and have become the backbone and the fabric of our communities and the state's vibrant and diverse history.

Premier Steven Marshall likes to talk about his involvement and connection with the national cabinet, but it would appear that he has not been able to represent and protect our essential services like this station. Labor will not be supporting the state government's amendments they have tabled. We support the acknowledgement of the hard work of volunteers at Channel 44. However, we do not support erasing important sections of this motion. The 30 June deadline is quickly looming, and action is needed now. As we have seen across the country, with only two community television channels remaining, once a community station goes, you cannot just flick the 'on air' light back on easily. We support this motion.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (18:03): I rise to speak in strong support of the motion by the Hon. Tammy Franks, and I thank her for bringing this important community service facing cruel extinction at the end of the month to the attention of the parliament. Allow me to roll off a few names: Hamish and Andy, Rove McManus, Peter Helliar, Waleed Aly, Tommy Little, Sam Mac, Gorgi Coghlan, Dave Hughes, Dave Thornton, Dilruk Jayasinha. You might have heard of them: national TV and arts identities.

Rove has won three Gold Logies, Waleed Aly and Hamish Blake one each. Dilruk, a comedian who appeared on Channel 10's I'm a Celebrity, has won a Logie for most popular new talent. To get there, they had to start from somewhere to learn the ropes in TV production and presentation, because you are not going to get that sort of training from the big free-to-air networks.

One of the best breeding grounds for broadcast talent is community television. This is where all those celebrities got their start. As someone who has spent more than a quarter of a century working and producing in television, I can appreciate the significant part CTV plays in developing the variety of skills required in broadcasting. It provides practical learning pathways, experiences and opportunities for those in the creative arts and graduates. There is the potential to unearth another Scott Hicks or Cate Blanchett.

Community television public broadcasting is also an inexpensive conduit for so many others in our community to have a platform, a platform that would not exist anywhere else, particularly on the free-to-air networks. There are 1,500 volunteers who work in this cottage industry, making content in more than 30 languages. One of those content producers in Adelaide is Jethro Heller, who won an Antenna Award in 2019 for his factual series 'Tales of a City'. Allow me to read out a portion of an email I received from Jethro about his 10 years in community TV. I quote:

Community television offered me the opportunity to reach a larger audience than my shows had previously attracted whilst broadcast on Foxtel.

During the last 10 years, I have had the chance to provide practical experience and paid work to dozens of young emerging film makers and technicians, many of whom have gone on to produce their own work and begin their careers as filmmakers and journalists.

I receive hundreds of messages and emails from members of the public expressing their gratitude that these stories are being broadcast, which are largely overlooked by mainstream media.

Community television gives voice to the voiceless, gives recognition to the unsung, and provides an oasis for those that feel they have not been heard or represented.

But if community television if switched off, that training ground stops. There will be no studios for them to learn how to operate camera, sound or on camera skills. There will be no experience gained by learning the art of editing, scriptwriting or lighting.

Gone will be the stories of culture, of underrepresented segments of society, as well as the events in social history that are recorded for posterity.

The people who participate in community TV deserve better than to be simply silenced on the free to air landscape and relegated to be lost among the millions of global you tube video channels.

A large percentage of our audience does not have a computer, or even a smart TV, and could sometimes be described as 'not very tech savvy'.

I have personally appealed to Minister Fletcher, with over 40 video messages to him via social media, as his office does not respond to emails or calls.

Thank you, Jethro. If there is a medium that so encapsulates our diverse multicultural society, it is community television, which broadcasts 220 hours of locally made content every week on Channel 31 in Melbourne and Channel 44 in Adelaide. They are the last two standing since 2014 when the then communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, announced that the five metro CTV stations licences would not be renewed beyond 2015 because the commonwealth required the spectrum it was broadcast on for other unspecified communications purposes.

In 2015, the federal government supplied $215,000 to the five stations at the time to set up an online streaming platform. However, it failed to generate much alternative revenue in comparison to the combined $3.4 million they had been getting. The self-funded sector was placed on a lifeline, dependent on the federal government granting it extensions. In 2017, when I was working with senator Nick Xenophon, Nick secured a six-month extension during the torrid negotiations on the Media Reform Bill. A further two-year extension until 2020 was given.

With all the uncertainty surrounding CTV's future and falls in revenue, it resulted in stations in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney folding. However, while Melbourne and Adelaide have managed to weather the economic challenges, revenues have been shrinking because of the destabilising effect of the decision to shut them down is having. It would be naive for anyone in government to suggest they could compete with the plethora of streaming services now available, many of which have vast amounts of investor and subscriber capital and content that is very expensive to produce.

CTV is not-for-profit and operates on the smell of an oily rag with revenues of around $2.5 million that are generated from sponsorships and partnerships. It has never been a financial burden on the federal government and was profitable until its licence renewals were taken away. CTV accommodates 140 internships each year sourced from diverse cultural backgrounds. It broadcasts 11 programs per week produced as part of tertiary institution coursework in film, television and journalism degrees.

Channel 31 has a long-running partnership with the National Ethnic Multicultural Broadcaster Council to produce the Multicultural AFL Football show, which is produced by young people from multicultural and multifaith backgrounds. Channel 31's Community Builderprogram creates content that focuses on minority, disability, health, multicultural, youth and environmental causes. Channel 44 provided coverage of the Adelaide Fringe parade, the DreamBIG Children's Festival and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Who will do that once it has gone?

Mr President, I will share with you some statistical figures that will come as a surprise to many, myself included: 90 per cent content is produced in Australia. Since the COVID-19 lockdown in March, Channel 31 in Melbourne had a 23 per cent increase in viewers—150,000 new sets of eyes. In Adelaide, it was a 27 per cent rise, with an additional 57,000 viewers. OzTAM data shows that in April one million Australians watched community television. Between February and April this year, it competed with, and regularly beat, free-to-air networks, including ABC ME, ABC News, 7Flix, 9 Life, 10 Peach, SBS Viceland, SBS Food, NITV and SBS World Movies.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, both channels broadcast live Easter Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox services and a Ramadan TV daily program for the Islamic community. This is what community television does: it brings communities together and builds bridges. I strongly commend this motion to the Legislative Council.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Pangallo, you need to move the amendment standing in your name.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: I move:

After paragraph 5 insert—

6. Requests the President of the Legislative Council to write to the federal Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts conveying this resolution.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (18:14): I also rise today to speak in favour of this motion. Firstly, I would like to thank the Hon. Ms Tammy Franks for bringing this motion to the council and also raising awareness of the plight of Channel 44. Channel 44 has been sending television content into our community for over a quarter of a century, broadcasting via a free-to-air television signal and digitally through its online platform. It is our state's only community television broadcaster; in fact, I believe it is one of only two community television stations in Australia, the other being Channel 31 in Melbourne.

Channel 44 is a not-for-profit and I understand provides its community service without funding from taxpayers. It enables people to develop skills in production, presentation and broadcasting areas, where limited opportunities exist in a state of our size. Channel 44 gives our community opportunities to express ourselves, to reflect on who we are, to showcase local events and to share our stories and content. Furthermore, during the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, community television brought people together in ways that were unanticipated and unexpected.

I understand that, as part of the celebrations over Easter, Ramadan and Vaisakhi, Channel 44 and Channel 31 filled a void and provided an important community service. When people were unable to attend places of worship, the stations helped them feel connected and enabled them to practise faith by broadcasting multidenominational services.

Although many in the community enjoy streaming digital content, we must remember those who are unfamiliar with this medium and still rely on free-to-air. For these people, the local information and community service provided by Channel 44 can only be developed via its broadcasting signal. Despite all its good work, as this financial year closes Channel 44's free-to-air signal will cease, reducing access to local television content. It seems we have been here before, when the station stared down the same dilemma in 2017; at that time, the federal government saw sense and extended Channel 44's broadcasting licence.

From what I can gather, the station has no insights as to what their broadcasting signal is needed for or why they will no longer be able to use it. It seems the federal Liberal Coalition government believe that white noise is better than hearing our local voices speak. I lend my voice to argue that avenues should exist for the community having access to both participate in the experience of television production and broadcasting and to be able to access community broadcasting and local content. With that, I commend the motion to the chamber and urge the federal minister to approve ongoing free-to-air broadcasting for Channel 44 and Melbourne's Channel 31.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (18:18): I rise on behalf of the government to speak on the motion moved by the Hon. Tammy Franks about community television Channel 44. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the mover and acknowledge her passionate work in this area and the broader arts and cultural sector. The honourable member's motion seeks to bring to the attention of the council that the future of Channel 44 is facing uncertainty and challenges since they were informed by the commonwealth government in September 2014 that their licence would not be extended beyond 30 June 2020.

There is no doubt in any of the honourable members' minds today that it is important that we acknowledge and congratulate Adelaide's community TV media broadcaster Channel 44 on covering South Australian stories, social and cultural activities, showcasing talent and creating employment and hands-on training opportunities for the local screen sector for the past 15 years, as mentioned by many honourable members today.

I have personally witnessed the good work of Channel 44 on a number of occasions, particularly their enthusiastic coverage of the Lunar New Year Street Party for Chinatown Adelaide and other significant multicultural events around South Australia in the last 15 years. As we all know, in the telecommunications and media business there is more competition, more innovation, and there are more dynamic online interactions which have drastically changed the way consumers and the public access content compared to 10 or 15 years ago.

During the coronavirus pandemic, we would have observed that our community members rely heavily on digital distribution platforms and using the internet to broadcast content and get timely information and stay connected with each other. In September 2014, all Australian community television programs were informed by the then communications minister, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, that community television transmitter licences were to expire at the end of 2014. In view of the concerns raised after the announcement and to allow the community television sector more time to prepare an alternative transition plan, the commonwealth government then extended all licences by another 12 months to 31 December 2015.

The advice I have received is that the federal government had worked with the community television sector and the Community Broadcasting Foundation to consider the most appropriate transition strategy for services to migrate online by the end of 2015. Since then, out of the five mainland capital cities that have community television channels, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland all moved off the spectrum, with South Australian and Victorian licences concluding on 30 June 2020.

With community television known as the sixth channel spectrum and due to the increasing amount of competition and innovation in telecommunications, the Australian government announced a spectrum review to carefully examine future prospects. Due to the evolution of the telecommunications and viewers' behaviour, many Australians are increasingly turning to access content that does not require a spectrum such as internet services like Netflix or on-demand programs.

This has encouraged the government to refocus its vision and recast the current broadcasting spectrum policy framework to develop strategies that fit the next wave of innovation. The current serving federal Minister for Communications, the Hon. Paul Fletcher, has been working extensively with the community television sector over the last couple of years to develop a clear transition path and to assist those working in the industry.

In addition to the support given by the Australian government, the Premier of South Australia has contacted minister Fletcher to discuss the issue at hand. The Premier, who is passionate about the arts and media sector, has advocated for an extension to be given on behalf of Channel 44. However, the federal minister unfortunately has made it clear that another extension will not be granted. With the history and the background about the federal government's changes in broadcasting, I would therefore like to amend the terms of the motion as follows:

Leave out paragraphs 2 to 5 and insert the following new paragraphs as follows:

2. Notes the commonwealth government advised community television stations they would lose access to the sixth broadcast spectrum in 2014 and has provided support to community television stations to transition to online platforms;

3. Notes that the Premier, the Hon. Steven Marshall MP, has advocated for the commonwealth government to extend Channel 44's use of the spectrum; and

4. Thanks Channel 44's staff and all its volunteers for their exceptional service to South Australia through their local and culturally diverse content.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Wortley!

The Hon. J.S. LEE: On this point, we acknowledge that there will be disappointment in the community and would like to take this opportunity to recognise the advocacy and hard work of all the employees, supporters and volunteers behind Channel 44 since its launch in 2004. Working as a launching pad for many media personalities and creative industry experts, Channel 44 has nurtured and given a visual platform to tell South Australian stories and inspire many enthusiastic young talents to undertake a career in creative industries.

Over the last 15 years, there has been an amazing network of individuals who have contributed to and supported the delivery of community free-to-air television. No doubt, during the COVID-19 period, some of the religious and multicultural organisations turned to Channel 44 to connect with their community. It was reported that CTV stations in Adelaide and Melbourne achieved historical Easter live-to-air broadcasts.

These initiatives ought to be congratulated and I acknowledge and thank the leadership team of Channel 44 for their ongoing commitment and the valuable services they have provided the South Australian community. At the same time, during the pandemic, many groups in the multicultural sector also had access to internet services and were readily connected to their religious and cultural groups through digital means, such as Facebook Live and other social media platforms.

The Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts recently reconfirmed that, since 2014, the radio frequency spectrum that was historically made available to community television stations in the five largest cities in Australia should be put to alternative uses. The federal government emphasised that community television will continue to have an important future and will continue to be a place where members of the community can make television content but, instead of using the traditional spectrum, there is now the capacity for community groups to generate and disseminate that rich content using online platforms.

I would like to highlight some of the best Australian new talents who have creatively produced new content online. For example, on YouTube, Natalie Tran, of Vietnamese background, is an Australian online producer, actress and comedian who has over 1.8 million subscribers. She has been described by her fans as charming, quirky and hilarious, and has been successful in delivering online.

In South Australia, we have the South Sudanese refugee Gabriel Akon, who has established the Playback 808 online record label. He and his fellow artists are making a difference through hip hop music online. He received Best Male Artist at the 2017 South Australian Music Awards and also received a Youth Award at the Governor's Multicultural Awards.

Sitting extended beyond 18:30 on motion of Hon. R.I. Lucas.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: There are people like Natalie Tran and Gabriel Akon who can be very successful in generating original creative content and disseminating it online. That is certainly where we will see more and more of community television going. The federal government has a policy to provide funding in those new online directions and the community television sector should seek further opportunities with the federal government.

In closing, I hope honourable members will consider the amendments I am moving to this motion. Once again, I express the government's appreciation and thank Channel 44 for its dedicated services and contributions to the South Australian community over the last 15 years. We acknowledge the great work and commitment of all employees, volunteers, content creators and viewers on their contribution to support community TV and wish them well in their future endeavours.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (18:29): I thank those speakers who have made a contribution: the Hon. Tung Ngo, the Hon. Jing Lee, the Hon. Frank Pangallo and the Hon. Emily Bourke. I also note the contributions of the member for Badcoe; the federal member for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie; the member for Kingston, Amanda Rishworth; senators for South Australia, Marielle Smith and Penny Wong; as well as many others who have seen strong support for community TV in South Australia and in Victoria, the only two states where it is now left.

We know that the spectrum will be lost to community TV in just 13 short days. We also know that, since I introduced this motion, we have seen the Senate pass unopposed a motion calling for the minister to extend the licences of our last surviving community broadcasters. Our own station in South Australia, Adelaide's Channel 44, is fighting for survival. It is looking for stability. It has been given six years of stop-start unstable offers that have not allowed them to set up and keep the sustainability that they need that will indeed endanger their contracts with various academic and other institutions when they, for no apparent reason, are denied access to the spectrum.

When minister Turnbull made this decision, he said he had other uses. We are yet to hear any other use put forward from the current federal minister, yet with the stroke of a pen we are going to lose a substantial conglomeration of community talent, opportunity and expertise. I know Jethro Heller, who has sent 40 video messages to the minister because, as quoted by the Hon. Frank Pangallo, he does not answer other forms of messages.

I urge the Premier perhaps to try TikTok. Maybe if phone calls, pleadings and letters do not work, perhaps TikTok or an Instagram video would because that is all that will be left for South Australians in the screen industry at the local community level. You are telling them to go to Facebook and to use the digital world when you are withdrawing the spectrum at no cost to the South Australian taxpayer but significant cost to the South Australian community.

In this digital era and the screen era, we should be investing in pathways into these industries and connections that are local in this global village in which we live. We should be keeping community television strong, stable and supported and celebrate it having a long and fruitful future, rather than mourning the fact that it has only 13 days to go.

I support the Hon. Frank Pangallo's amendment to the motion, and in addition to a letter from the President of the Legislative Council, I hope that a TikTok video from the Premier might be on its way to the minister. I indicate to the government that, given their amendment seeks to replace my original motion's provisions, I cannot support it. I find it offensive that you would replace the motion with one of your own that mourns the loss of community television instead of standing up and fighting for community television in South Australia.

The Hon. J.S. Lee's amendment negatived; the Hon. F. Pangallo's amendment carried; motion as amended carried.

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