Australia commits A$38m to digital

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Australia commits A$38m to digital


Australia’s federal government has revealed exactly how it will replace analogue switch-off group Digital Australia and the previous government’s digital action plan, which it scrapped upon coming to power in late November 2007.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy (pictured, left) unveiled the government’s A$37.9 million strategy to “drive Australia’s transition to digital TV”, confirming its concrete deadline for analogue switch-off had been set for December 31 2013, just under six years away. A detailed roadmap will be released by the end of 2008.

Helpfully, the government said exactly how much would go into what activity. The bulk of the funds – A$16.9 million – will go to the Digital Switchover Taskforce, which will coordinate the switchover programme within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. That “taskforce” is headed by Andy Townend, recruited from Digital UK to head Digital Australia before the new government junked it.

An evaluation of digital TV transmission and reception throughout Australia by regulator ACMA, as well as other ACMA switchover-related projects, will receive A$8.5 million. There will be A$6.7 million for a logo and labelling scheme “to clearly indicate which products are digitally ready” as well as A$4.8 million for a “Digital Tracker” to assess issues such as public awareness of digital switchover, intention of homes to convert and actual conversion rates.

Finally, A$1 million will go into research into digital reception problems in multi-unit dwellings with shared antennas, a project that will take two years.

But while Senator Conroy claimed that “The Australian government is committed to digital television and this funding will help drive a smooth transition”, it is not clear whether there will be more money forthcoming, if it is needed to reach the government’s target date. As Conroy himself told the Australian Broadcast Summit in Sydney: “The analogue to digital switchover could well be the largest change on a national scale since the introduction of decimal currency in 1966. It will affect every household and every TV receiver in the nation, including those in VCRs and other recorders.” It remains to be seen whether A$37.9 million in government money will be enough to make the change.