OUTPUT 1.2: BROADCAST PRODUCTION

The Broadcasting subgroup produces live radio and television coverage of the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Main Committee of the House of Representatives, public hearings of parliamentary committees and special events held in Parliament House.

The broadcasts are delivered in Parliament House on the House Monitoring Service (HMS), an internal radio and television facility. Television output is also provided to media bureaus in Parliament House and to executive government departments in Canberra on the Intra-Government Communications Network (ICON). Radio coverage of parliamentary proceedings is broadcast externally by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on the Parliamentary and News Network (PNN). Question time from one Chamber is broadcast live on ABC TV. Chamber and selected committee coverage is also broadcast live on the Internet, and is accessible using the Parliament of Australia web site (htp://www.aph.gov.au).

The subgroup also provides a range of video, audio and audiovisual production services to Senators, Members and parliamentary departments.

At the output group level, the Broadcasting subgroup measures its performance against indicators that encompass broadcast output, price and quality.

Broadcast output

Performance indicator: percentage change and number of hours broadcast, by category.

Basis for comparison: trend over time.

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Chambers

During 2000-01, 1,356 hours of chamber television and radio programming were broadcast. Of the 2,266 hours of committee audio that were recorded or broadcast, 1,154 hours were televised.

Committees

Despite the very heavy workload during Senate Estimates caused by the scheduling of hearings when the Houses were sitting, all service requests were satisfied. Committee hearings in remote locations resulted in increased staff costs from the significant loss of productive time while travelling.

New staffing arrangements will be designed to make more effective use of ongoing staff, external providers and non-ongoing staff to reduce the excessive demands on staff during periods of high workload.

Senate committees account for almost two-thirds of committees recorded or broadcast (1,469 hours compared to 797 hours of House of Representatives committees).

Significantly more requests were received from the Senate than from the House of Representatives with 1,050 Senate committee hours televised compared to just 104 hours of House of Representatives committee proceedings.

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Broadcast price (cost)

Performance indicator: cost efficient broadcast production - cost per hour of broadcast, by category.

Basis for comparison: trend over time.

Vision

The monthly averaged full cost per hour of vision broadcast was $1,590, down from $1,784 last year. The full monthly costs for vision broadcasting of chambers and committees include high overhead costs associated with the equipment, staff and departmental support required to provide services regardless of the level of parliamentary activity.

The direct cost per hour indicator shows the direct labour costs incurred. The result of $292 per hour to provide broadcast vision services is down on last year's figure of $320 per hour.

Audio

The monthly averaged full cost per hour of audio broadcast was $936, up from $709 last year. This change is largely attributed to improved financial and statistical data collection with the introduction of the Production Resource and Event Scheduling System (PRESS). As with vision costs, the actual full monthly costs for audio broadcasting of chambers and committees varied markedly during the year, corresponding with fluctuations in parliamentary sitting patterns.

Direct cost per hour for provision of broadcast audio services was $210, compared to last years' result of $197.

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Client Broadcast Services

Client specific broadcast services include video conferencing, television 'pieces to camera', theatre screenings, videotape edits, studio, audio/visual and other television and radio productions. The full cost of client specific broadcast services averaged $536 an hour compared to a reported full cost per hour of $208 the previous year. This significant change is attributed to more accurate recording methods following the introduction of PRESS.

From January 2001 PRESS has been providing far more detailed reports relating to the Broadcasting subgroup's output and cost effectiveness than had been previously possible.

One such example relates to the report that details client specific broadcast services. Prior to the introduction of PRESS, 264 such services were reported in the first six months of the financial year. PRESS reported 943 such services in the second half of the financial year. Generally speaking, the second half of the year was somewhat busier than the first, but probably not to the extent this comparison would suggest. The later results indicate a far more comprehensive means of tallying these services and, as a result, will provide a sound basis for future planning in this and other broadcasting related areas.

Broadcast quality

Performance indicator: high quality satisfaction - percentage and number of clients satisfied with services.

The DPRS 2000 Client Satisfaction Survey resulted in 144 Senators, Members and senior parliamentary staff offering their views on a range of DPRS services. Of those surveyed, 90 per cent were satisfied or very satisfied with broadcast services.