Mr NEVILLE (3:55 PM) —On behalf of the Standing Committee on Communications, Transport and the Arts, I present the committee's report entitled Regional radio racing services—Inquiry into the impact of the decision by ABC Radio to discontinue its radio racing service, together with the minutes of proceedings and evidence received by the committee

Ordered that the report be printed.

Mr NEVILLE —I acknowledge members in the chamber here today, including the members for Lowe, Moreton and Bendigo, who were active participants in this inquiry. In the very first chapter of our report we make the following opening statement, which came from a submission by Mr Crane:

I thought that was a very poignant start from one of the early submissions to our inquiry. The whole business of this inquiry was to try to re-establish in regional Australia something that had become an icon for people with regard to their Saturday and public holiday entertainment. It was strange that when we announced the terms of reference for the inquiry, and even before the inquiry proper had got under way or gained any momentum, the ABC issued a press release that said that claims by the racing industry that `there is a groundswell of support from ABC regional listeners for the return of the service' were far from the truth. It also said that 80 per cent of ABC radio regional listeners `had not the slightest interest in horse racing coverage'. We found that quite extraordinary and, as the inquiry unfolded, we received 208 submissions. Hardly a reflection of no interest! We received 200 form letters and 500 signatures on petitions.

As the committee went out and visited Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Barraba, in north-western New South Wales, as well as holding hearings in Canberra, it became clearly obvious that people were very much affected by this decision. The interesting feature about this is that the submissions came from ordinary people—ordinary, rank and file people. It became clear that the best and most effective solution for the restoration of this radio racing service would be for the ABC to restore it. Clearly, however, that is now no longer possible because: (a) the whole system within the ABC has been dismantled; and (b) the ABC having dismantled their own service and being reliant in some states on the TAB, there are conflicts with the charter of the ABC.

We were surprised at the inadequacy of the ABC's research on audience needs and preferences. Surveys were actually held after the inquiry commenced, which we found most unusual. There was a lack of public consultation, and the ABC did not even refer this matter to its national advisory council. If you were going to cut out something that was fairly widely liked in regional and rural Australia, wouldn't you think you would call on your advisory council to provide you with some advice?

We have decided that the best way of doing this is to expand the TAB services, be that 4TAB, 927, 2KY or whichever service is available in each state, and we will require alterations to licences to give those race broadcasters greater certainty. My colleague the member for Lowe is going to expand on that, as will other members of the committee, including the member for Throsby, in the Main Committee. (Time expired)