Reception resumes after tower maintenance issue

There has been some advancement for rural viewers who were missing ABC / SBS reception after Rural Broadcast Australia Holdings stopped maintenance and equipment at the Eastgrove tower.

Goulburn Post reports the tower was fixed with ABC and SBS channels officially resuming on October 30.

ABC stepped in to resolve the issue, signing a contract with RBAH for two years while a longer-term solution was worked out for ongoing maintenance.

Federal MP Angus Taylor said, “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.

“This is a great result.”

But Labor senator Deborah O’Neill said it was “yet another example of the Morrison Government’s neglect of regional Australia”.

“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.”

Meanwhile ABC has announced upgrades to its emergency services with a new Emergency website which aggregates information from key national and state emergency services.

ABC’s Managing Director David Anderson said, “The ABC was named the nation’s most trusted source of emergency information* and as we move towards summer we have directed every available resource to our emergency services.

“We understand the advice that cyclones and floods may be greater risks than fires this summer and we have been working with emergency agencies to give Australians the best information possible.”