The Albanese Government is strengthening local radio services nationwide with a $20 million Broadcasting Resilience Program to keep communities connected in emergencies.
The BRP has delivered and completed 131 projects, including upgraded 98 ABC AM and FM broadcast sites to help keep communities connected, safe and informed during times of emergency.
The 2020 Royal Commission on National Natural Disaster Arrangements Report highlighted how important broadcast media was during disasters and identified how power outages could affect this service.
Under the program, five mobile broadcasting assets were also rolled out. These can be rapidly deployed during emergencies to communities if ABC local radio transmission fails, including during power outages caused by severe weather.
The effectiveness of these critical emergency response units was demonstrated in June on Queensland’s Dunk Island following a mains power cable cut that caused widespread outages across the community.
“Local radio isn’t just background noise in an emergency, it delivers the information communities need to stay safe and connected,” said Minister for Communications Anika Wells.
“That’s why we’re proud that the Albanese Government’s $20 million Broadcasting Resilience Program has delivered innovative and resilient communications infrastructure across the country.”
“It’s important our broadcasting infrastructure keeps running to keep all Australians safe and up to date with essential information during an emergency.”
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“The upgrades and infrastructure delivered through this program is helping keep our regional and remote communities safe and emergency broadcasts on the air when Australians need them most.”
The mobile broadcasting asset, stationed at Mount Bellenden Ker in Cairns, was deployed to Dunk Island and had local broadcast services and mobile charging capabilities for the community back up and running in about 24 hours.
Upgrades delivered through the BRP have also kept local radio on the airwaves during last year’s floods in Tasmania last year, the Wilcannia storms in New South Wales and the Dimbulah bushfires.
Almost all of the 48 sites that received emergency power upgrades under the program have been used, providing 1,215 hours of emergency power.
Delivered by BAI Communications, the BRP is part of the Albanese Government’s $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia, which includes a $400 million commitment to improve mobile coverage and increase the resilience of communications services and public safety communications facilities across the country.
Adrianne Saplagio is a Content Producer at Comms Room, where she combines her passion for storytelling with her expertise in multimedia content creation. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for engaging audiences, Adrianne has been instrumental in crafting compelling narratives that resonate across various digital platforms.
