Additional comments from the Coalition
The Coalition believes that the short amount of time given
to the Committee to conduct this inquiry was inadequate and did not allow
stakeholders sufficient time to prepare evidence.
While agreeing with the general drive of the Broadcasting
Services Amendment (Improved Access to Television) Bill 2012, the Coalition
adds additional commentary to the report in order to raise some legitimate
concerns with the Bill. Our consultations with industry suggested there were
several areas where imprecise drafting or insufficient clarity in the
Explanatory Memorandum created a potentially unfair and uncertain situation for
broadcasters in relation to reporting requirements, programs finishing after
midnight, international pass-through channels, and strict liability for certain
breaches.
The Coalition therefore moved amendments in the House to
that effect that the Government was nonetheless unwilling to consider. The
Coalition is of the belief the Bill could be improved upon without in anyway
reducing the level of service and assurance that is provided to users of this
service. We acknowledge the importance of the provision of the captioning
service to people in the hearing impaired community, and recommend the Bill not
be opposed.
Senator Bridget McKenzie
Senator for Victoria
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