From: Anthony Lill [hairyant@optusnet.com.au]
Sent: Thursday, 8 May 2003 12:32 PM
To: disabdis
Subject: exemption application under section 55 of the DDA

I would like to make a submission in regard to the request for an exemption
under section 55 of the DDA by the Applicants (ABC and SBS Television and
networks Seven, Nine and Ten )

I would like to say that I really appreciate the current level of captioning
and it makes the enjoyment of watching TV or movies more pleasurable for
both myself and my family since I do not need to constantly ask about what
was said. I can't imagine life without captions - that's how important
captions are to me.

However I am not satisfied with the current level of captioning, I may
decide that I wish to see a program late at night but I won't understand
much of it because it is out of the prime time captioning time slot. For
example last night my wife and I were watching the TV special Kylie: Fever
on Channel 9 but I soon lost interest because captions were not available
since it started at 10.30pm. I would have certainly watched the entire
program had it been captioned. Captioning for singing is almost always spot
on and it is the only way that I can understand what is being sung. But why
should I have to turn over to SBS to get a captioned movie late at night
because it is a foreign film. I may not want to watch a foreign film - which
should be my decision to make. Under the Applicants proposal there is no
change for non News and Current Affairs programming that begins outside of
the primetime slot between 12 Midnight and 6.00am. What about shift workers
that finish their afternoon shift - e.g. the manufacturing industry and the
hospitality industry. There are many deaf people that work these hours - is
it fair that they come home between the hours of 12am and 2am and cannot
understand what they are viewing. These people are disadvantaged now and
they will still be disadvantaged by the applicant's proposal.

Another thing, lets say that we have 100% captioning of Free To Air TV
programs and I want to record a movie. It is no longer possible to purchase
a VCR that records captions in Australia. Manufacturers that did produce
VCRs with a closed caption decoder no longer do so due to the change to DVD
media. So VHS media is becoming a non-issue since many manufacturers have
ceased the manufacture of VCR's except in the case of dual media units
containing a DVD player and VCR. There is not one of these dual media units
that records closed captions let alone display them. If I want to record
captions I have to rely on a VCR that is capable of recording captions -
what happens if that VCR needs repair and for one reason or another the
repair of the VCR isn't possible. I am stuck with a VCR that can't do the
job it's supposed to do and the new technology (DVDR) is much too expensive
to purchase. I know of people in this exact situation.

Also I am concerned that if the Applicants are granted an exemption that the
Applicants will have no one to answer to but themselves. At the moment they
are required to comply with the Broadcasting Services Act and provide
captioning for primetime viewing along with News and Current Affairs. If an
exemption is granted the Applicants may forgo the promises made in their
proposal due to constraint of one type or the other. There is the
possibility of reduced captioning services not increased captioning
services.

In conclusion, I think that the Free To Air TV Stations do not understand
the way that deaf people live. Try viewing your TV without sound for a
week - it might be a novelty the first couple of days but I can guarantee
that will soon disappear and frustration will set in.

I challenge the applicants and HREOC to undergo a week of no sound from your
TV and afterwards tell us that 100% captioning is not a priority.

Anthony Lill


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