15.09.11 Adjournment - Lawn Bowls

Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (12:42): I rise today to raise an issue important to senior Australians not just in my electorate of Mitchell but all around the country, and that is the decision of the ABC to remove the screening of lawn bowls from its charter in the very near future.

Mr Danby: Disgraceful!

Mr HAWKE: I agree with the member for Melbourne Ports; it is a disgraceful decision. Lawn bowls is one of the highest participation sports in Australia today, and its participation is especially high amongst and important to those Australians over 60. It is important in helping Australian's senior citizens to stay fit, active, healthy and connected to their communities, and it is one of those sports that has a long history of involvement with our community.

I want to raise for the House's benefit the charter of the ABC. Often we hear justifications for public broadcasters and the funding of public broadcasters. I am a person who would ask: 'Why do we need a public broadcaster? What is the worth of it? What is the value of it? What does it do for us?' The charter of the public broadcasting corporation under the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 says that the functions of the corporation are to provide: (i) broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian community …

and:

(2) In the provision by the Corporation of its broadcasting services within Australia:

(a) the Corporation shall take account of:

… … …

(iii) the responsibility … as the provider of an independent national broadcasting service to provide a balance between broadcasting programs of wide appeal and specialized broadcasting programs …

It is important to note that bowls is one of the most popular sports in Australia today. Indeed, the viewing stats had between 200,000 and 500,000 viewers watching bowls each week. There were 2,000 bowling clubs affiliated within Australia in 2010 and about half a million participants in Australia who played lawn bowls.

In my electorate of Mitchell you have great institutions like the Castle Hill Bowling Club, men's and women's; the Hills district bowling club, men's and women's; Northmead bowling and recreation club—these clubs have 200 to 500 members each—and Dural Country Club, Toongabbie Sports and Bowling Club, Pennant Hills Bowling Club and the West Pennant Hills men's bowling club. We know that the ABC receives in the forward estimates $2.1 billion over three years. According to its charter, the ABC will, among other things:

… contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian community …

There could be no better way of doing that for senior Australians than broadcasting what would be the single most significant sport in Australia for people over the age of 50. There is no other sport than lawn bowls that captures what they are doing. It is quite a significant issue.

The ABC today has four channels: ABC1, ABC2, ABC3 and ABC24. We have a public broadcaster to contribute to our sense of national identity. I think it is an outrageous decision and I am 100 per cent behind the shadow minister for seniors, Bronwyn Bishop, who has launched, along with Bowls Australia, a nationwide petition to keep lawn bowls on the air at the ABC. I believe and agree with the argument that cutting lawn bowls breaches the charter of the ABC. It is breaching the idea that the history and tradition of lawn bowls in this country is part of our national identity—a current, contemporary part of our national identity. For senior Australians it is a very large part of their national identity. I have contacted all my local clubs and advised them that we are running this petition. We have had people signing it already. As one of the highest participation sports for seniors, with so many benefits, I think there is a clear case for the ABC to come to the table and reverse its decision.

Over the years I have been quite critical of the ABC, but there are shining moments when it delivers something that is within the cultural identity of Australians. It does programs that can be quite perceptive about our history, culture and identity and that have worth. Lawn bowls is a good example of what should be retained by the ABC for senior Australians. There is no commercial or other broadcasting institution in the country that will take up this important part of seniors' national identity and which has a long history. The Victorian Bowling Association was one of the first national bowling associations worldwide. It is one of those things that make up the great social fabric of our country. There is a clear and present argument for the ABC to reverse this retrograde decision, fulfil the obligations of its charter under the Broadcasting Act 1983 and return lawn bowls to the screen on the ABC.