In Alice Springs today, Shadow Minister for Regional communications,Stephen Jones MP, joined with Senator Malarndirri McCarthy and the Hon Warren Snowdon MP to Announce that a Shorten Labor Government will provide the ABC with $2 million in funding to help re-establish shortwave radio
services across the Northern Territory.

Australians living in remote areas already face significant communications challenges and the loss of access to ABC services from shortwave radio cuts people off from emergency broadcasts as well as being an important connection to the rest of Australia.

The Liberal Governments budget cuts to the ABC forced some bad decisionson the organisation, including the decision to cut their shortwave radiotransmissions in January 2017.

Since then, organisations like the NT Government, NT Cattlemens Association, Northern Territory Seafood Council representing commercial and tourist fishing businesses, Amateur Fisherman Association, Indigenous Rangers, long-haul transport drivers and the Toyota Land Cruiser Club representing grey nomads have raised concerns about the loss of these services.
The Territory is a drawcard for grey nomads with around 600,000 visits eachyear.

For remote First Nations communities, shortwave radio equipment is relatively cheap to purchase and does not require external power to operate. By contrast, other forms of communication such as mobile phones, TV and broadband allrely on mains power.

In January 2017, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten wrote to then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asking him to work with the ABC to restore the shortwave.

Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Nigel Scullion criticised the ABCsdecision but was unable to convince his own government to reverse it, again leaving Territorians without a voice in Cabinet.

Labor believes that it was premature to cut ABC shortwave radio services and that if the ABC had not been under intense budget constraints, this decisionwould never have been made.

Labor has been campaigning against the ABCs decision to cease shortwavetransmissions since it was announced in mid-December 2016. We know howimportant shortwave is, thats why we are switching it back on.

By switching the shortwave back on a Shorten Labor Government will ensure, towns, communities and travellers are connected to the rest of the nation.
Labors funding commitment of $2 million to restore ABC shortwave services isin addition to Labors commitment to reverse the Morrison Governments $83.7million unfair cut to the ABC, as well as our guarantee of funding certainty over
the next ABC budget cycle.