Pork barrelling costs WA its chance of regional SBS TV service

24/6/94

Blatant pork barrelling in the marginal Labor seat of Richmond and other Eastern States electorates has cost regional Western Australia its chance of an SBS television service.

Services Minister Graham Kierath said the Keating Government had ignored all Western Australians living outside Perth by refusing to fund satellite SBS Television.

"The Federal budget has excluded any expansion of the service within Western Australia, which is an absolute disgrace," Mr Kierath said.

"In the past, Canberra has claimed that there was no room on the Optus satellite for a statewide SBS TV service.

"However, we now know that there is a satellite transponder available, capable of being used for this purpose."

The Minister said it was time for the Federal Labor Government to stop hiding behind fictitious technical excuses and own up to its decision to deprive most of Western Australia of this basic, taxpayer funded service.

"A demonstration of how the Federal Government's policy specifically discriminates against Western Australians comes when comparing the number of current SBS TV reception areas by State and Territory," he said.

"Victoria and Queensland each have four, New South Wales has three, while South Australia, and even Tasmania, have two each. 

"In Western Australia, Perth is the only major market with access to time delayed SBS TV, which, according to the Minister, puts us in the same category as the Northern Territory and the ACT.

"The Federal budget provides for two new Eastern States SBS TV services in the immediate future, one of these is in the Federal electorate of Richmond, New South Wales, the other is in Wide Bay, Queensland." 

Mr Kierath described as outrageous the decision to spend $5 million so that these two communities could get SBS as their sixth TV service.   The same amount of money would lease the WA satellite spot beam for more than two years, thus guaranteeing everyone in the State at least three TV services.

"The Keating Government has learned nothing from the Ros Kelly sports rorts affair," he said. 

"Obviously, Richmond got on the white board because it is a marginal Labor seat."

Mr Kierath encouraged everyone missing out on SBS TV to express their concerns to their Federal members and senators as soon as possible in order to persuade the Federal Government to reverse its decision. 

"I challenge all Western Australian Labor MPs, along with Labor and Green senators to declare where they stand on this issue.   Do they side with the interests of Western Australians, or those of the Canberra political machine?"

Media contact:   Brian Coulter 222 9595 or 481 2133