Estimates Transcripts

Twice each year, usually in May and November, the estimates of proposed annual expenditure of government departments and authorities are referred by the Senate to the relevant legislation committees for examination and report. At the estimates hearings, Senators may directly question Ministers and public officials not only about the details of proposed expenditure but also about the objectives, operations and efficiency of the programs for which they are responsible. Read more about estimates here.

NBN Co - Training facilities and modelling

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 27th August 2010, 2:45pm
in

Senator Ludlam asked:
When do you expect to have the modelling finished?

Answer:

NBN Co expects to have some preliminary data collection and modelling available by end July
2010 but this data will then need careful interrogation and scenario testing before we can accept it
as fit for purpose. This may take a further several months to complete.


Budget Estimates Hearings May 2010 Question 120

NBN Co - Carbon footprints power issue for wireless vs fibre networks

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 27th August 2010, 2:36pm
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Senator Ludlam asked:

Would you provide the committee with your favourite one or two referenced works, on notice?

Answer:

A useful reference work is FTTH-The Green Access Technology by Robert Ayre, Jayant Baliga
and Rod Tucker from the ARC Special Research Centre for Ultra-Broadband Information
Networks at the University of Melbourne. The paper compares wireless (ie. WiMAX) v. Fibre
(FTTN, HFC, Pt/Pt, GPON) power consumption (and hence carbon footprint if non-renewable
energy sources are used). It was presented at the 2009 FTTH Council conference in Melbourne
about twelve months ago.



 

 Answers to Senate Estimates Questions on Notice Budget Estimates Hearings May 2010  Question No: 121


 


 

National Broadband Network (NBN Co) modelling and training facilities

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 27th August 2010, 2:32pm
in

When do you expect to have the modelling finished?

Answer:

NBN Co expects to have some preliminary data collection and modelling available by end July
2010 but this data will then need careful interrogation and scenario testing before we can accept it
as fit for purpose. This may take a further several months to complete.


Answer to Senate Estimates Questions on Notice Budget Estimates Hearings May 2010, Question No. 120

ABC decision against broadcasting 'Hope in a Slingshot' documentary

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 27th August 2010, 2:11pm
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Senator Ludlam asked:

Could you provide details of as to why this documentary was not broadcast? What is the process
for reviewing content against the ABC editorial policies?

Is it correct that it was not broadcast because the ABC would have to broadcast a pro-war
documentary to "balance" it?

Answer:

The documentary Hope in a Slingshot deals with a matter of deep and continuing contention, the
conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The documentary was assessed by ABC TV as
‘opinion content' within the meaning of the ABC Editorial Policies. Hope in a Slingshot was
assessed as taking a pro-Palestinian perspective, not a pro-peace perspective as is contended by
the filmmakers.

ABC - Audio description trial

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 27th August 2010, 2:05pm
in

Senator Ludlam asked:
Could you provide details as to how the ABC would fund an audio description trial?

Answer:

As noted in the ABC's submission to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the
Digital Economy's Discussion Report on Access to Electronic Media for the Hearing and Vision
Impaired, the ABC is willing to further investigate the feasibility of an audio description (AD)
trial.

ABC - Digital equipment costs

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 27th August 2010, 2:00pm
in

SBS Online streaming service and audience share

Estimates Transcripts
Friday 16th July 2010, 12:47pm
in

Senator Ludlam asked:

Can you provide some sense of audience share, the break-up between your online audience of people who are not browsing but actually watching one of your titles as opposed to those watching on TV?

Answer:

SBS's online video viewers (unique browsers who watch a video) currently number around 342,000 browsers, approximately a third of SBS's overall online audience of 1,086,000 unique browsers (April 2010). Total number of online video views for April 2010 was 2,503,000. (Nielsen NetRatings SiteCensus.)

SBS's total television audience reach (SBS ONE/SBS TWO) in April 2010 was 8.7 million viewers in the metropolitan markets and 976,000 in regional areas. (OzTAM/RegTAM - 24 hour, 5 minute consecutive reach.)

SBS online streaming service - an equivalent of iView on the cards?

Estimates Transcripts
Friday 16th July 2010, 12:41pm
in

Senator Ludlam asked:

Can you provide us with an update of your online streaming service, particularly now ABC has begun captioning its iView service? Does SBS have similar intentions and how broad they are?

Answer:

SBS is currently providing about 80 per cent of its prime-time television programming (full program versions) online each week, subject to rights clearance. The SBS website also carries short form video content produced by SBS's news and current affairs and sport staff.

SBS's online video operation consists of a small video team preparing the content each day. SBS's video systems are not currently integrated with SBS's TV broadcast systems (including rights management and captioning), resulting in a heavily manual operation in getting material online.

During 2010/2011 SBS will make small upgrades to its video system to improve the user experience, as well as scoping how to improve and integrate the workflow. This will include investigating an upgrade to SBS's online video systems to enable SBS to convert the closed captions files created for SBS's English language television programs for use online. Non-English language programs made available on the SBS website as part of SBS's catch-up service are transmitted with subtitles (open captions). Transcripts of all SBS-produced news and current affairs programs are also available on the SBS website.

SBS is committed to making its services accessible to all Australians, including making more of its programming available online with closed captions.


Budget Estimates Hearings May 2010
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation

Role of AFP in Colombia

Estimates Transcripts
Thursday 15th July 2010, 6:21pm
in

SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Senator Ludlam asked the following question at the hearing on 25 May 2010:

a) Has the AFP been called in either by the Colombian government directly or by the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade in anti-terror operations here in Australia or Colombia?

b) Has the AFP given technical assistance to Colombian security agencies to tap phones and install
listening or other kinds of surveillance devices to hear the conversations of union activists or
leaders or opposition politicians either in Australia or in Colombia?

The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

a) As this would constitute an operational matter it would not be appropriate to comment.

b) No.

Closing the Gap - breakdown of services provided

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Tuesday 6th July 2010, 5:49pm
in

Senator Ludlam asked the following question at the hearing on 25 May 2010:

What is the breakdown of services under the $29.1 million to be provided in 2010-11 for Closing
the Gap? If there are forward estimates for the years beyond that, please provide those.