LABOR STOOD BY WHILE REGIONAL TV SERVICES DISAPPEARED

LABOR STOOD BY WHILE REGIONAL TV SERVICES DISAPPEARED

Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin MP has slammed the Albanese Labor Government for failing to act as regional South Australians lose another service, with Network 10 set to disappear from free-to-air television across the South East and Riverland.

Mr Pasin said the closure should come as no surprise to the Federal Government, with regional broadcasters repeatedly warning that rising transmission costs, shrinking advertising markets and an outdated regulatory framework were making services increasingly difficult to sustain.

“The warning lights have been flashing for months, but Labor has sat on its hands. Now regional Australians are paying the price,” Mr Pasin said.

“People across Mount Gambier, the Limestone Coast and Riverland are being told they will lose Network 10 while viewers in Adelaide and other metropolitan areas continue watching as normal.

“That’s simply not good enough.”

Mr Pasin said suggestions viewers could simply move to streaming ignored the realities of living in regional Australia.

“Regional Australians already deal with mobile blackspots and patchy internet services. Telling them to just stream television is not an adequate answer.”

Mr Pasin said the closure reflected a broader pattern of essential services retreating from regional communities.

“We’ve seen banks close, regional aviation services under pressure and now free-to-air television disappearing.

“At what point does the Albanese Government stop shrugging its shoulders and start fighting for regional Australians?

“The Communications Minister needs to get the broadcasters around the table and deliver a sustainable

solution.

“Regional Australians pay the same taxes. They should not have to accept second-class services simply because of their postcode.”