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Senator Stephen Conroy pledges ALPs support for Community Broadcasting sector
2007-10-04 08:05:18 WST
By Station Manager
Broadcaster groups from 6EBA-FM in Perth have been actively lobbying for increased funding into the community broadcasting sector.
ALP'S Senator Stephen Conroy, Shadow Minister for Communications and Information Technology and Deputy Opposition Leader in the Senate has acknowledged our concerns about the depleting funding to the sector and has pledged that the Rudd government would seek to improve capacity to community stations throughout Australia.
Senator Conroy writes:...Labor understands the vital role that community broadcasters play in informing and entertaining Australian communities and is aware of the vital role that ethnic community broadcasting plays in supporting ethnic communities around Australia. The significance of community broadcasters is particularly evident in regional and rural areas.
The recent House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications Information Technology and the Arts report, "Tuning in to Community Broadcasting" and the Griffith University Report, "Community Media Matters" confirmed the critical importance of community broadcasting in the lives of many Australians.
It was no surprise to Labor that the "Tuning in to Community Broadcasting" report also recommended an increase in funding and support to the sector. The Howard Government has failed to provide adequately for the future of the community broadcasting sector.
Labor is aware that increased funding and support are fundamental to the growth and development of community broadcasting, particularly in the lead up to the switch over to digital television and radio.
A Rudd Labor Government would seek to do what the Howard Government has failed to do to improve the capacity of community broadcasters and ensure that the sector receives appropriate support.