After months of lobbying, Eastgrove residents can now access ABC and SBS television channels again.
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The broadcaster Rural Broadcast Australia Holdings (RBAH) stopped maintenance and equipment replacement at the Eastgrove tower earlier this year. Due to storm damage the tower ceased broadcasting in August, 2020.
Prior to this RBAH had been caring for, at its own expense, necessary equipment for transmission and could no longer afford the maintenance.
RBAH was formed by a collective of regional commercial broadcasters to build transmission towers as infill to the black spots created when technology moved to digital transmission.
The tower was fixed with ABC and SBS channels officially resuming on October 30.
Federal MP Angus Taylor said that the national broadcasters were very close to finalising an agreement. He said services would resume "in the next day or so" after the tower was repaired.
"My congratulations to RBAH and to the ABC and SBS for demonstrating such good faith and working so effectively in the best interests of the people of Eastgrove," Mr Taylor said.
"This is a great result."
Labor duty senator for Hume Deborah O'Neill welcomed the resumption of ABC television broadcasting services to Eastgrove but said it was "yet another example of the Morrison Government's neglect of regional Australia".
She said that according to ABC managing director David Anderson, on ABC Radio Canberra on October 30, the ABC stepped in to resolve the issue, signing a contract with RBAH for two years while a longer-term solution was worked out.
"The ABC has to find $600,000 per year to fix this transmission issue because Angus Taylor and Scott Morrison don't care about regional Australia," she said.
"It is indeed good news that ABC TV is back up and running for the residents of East Goulburn who worked together and with me to make sure they got their fair share of the ABC. But it is profoundly disappointing that the government hasn't given the ABC the additional funding.
"Instead what we know is that the ABC will have to cut elsewhere as a result of the Government's refusal to properly address this issue."
