(Source: Radio New Zealand via Nigel Holmes)
The government of Vanuatu sent a formal submission to the Australian Senate asking for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to resume its shortwave service.
[…]In a letter, Vanuatu’s prime minister Charlot Salwai said removing the shortwave service to Vanuatu could cost many lives in the likelihood of a major natural disaster, like cyclone Pam two years ago.
The Daily Post said radio broadcasts to remote parts of the country have been cited as a reason the death toll from the category five storm was relatively low.
After the storm there was practically no domestic communication, with shortwave the only radio means to reach a scattered population.
Mr Salwai said it could be reasonably stated that Australia’s shortwave service helps save Pacific lives and Australian tax dollars.
How short sighted can the Australian ABC be, during Cyclone Debbie the internet and mobile phone service was knocked out plus local Bowen Radio Station was out of action, no Shortwave transmitted from Shepparton so all contact with the outside world was lost, you would think that the ABC should be forced to resume transmission via Shortwave to the Aussie Outback and the Pacific also in times of chaos like that which happened during this Cyclone, the sooner they wake up the better.
Dave.
After watching Ms Guthrie a few weeks ago state most emphatically that the ABC was _NOT_ an emergency broadcaster, it was amusing to sit through (the tail end of ex-) Cyclone Debbie watching and hearing the State Premier, Emergency Services minister, the head of disaster services co-ordination, the fire/police/ambulance/SES heads, and even ABC newsreaders tell people to “tune into the ABC for accurate and up-to-date emergency information”!