Current Solutions
Poor television and radio reception can be partially resolved by use of the Australian Government’s Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service.
The ABC’s Listen app and other smartphone radio receiver apps are also possible substitutes for poor radio reception but are often less convenient and, unlike VAST and radio, carries a data reception cost, albeit slight.
Dealing with poor Free-To-Air TV reception
The Australian Government provides, at no cost apart from the individual household set-up cost, access to free-to-air television stations (and digital radio stations broadcast to TV receivers – which includes most, if not all, ABC and SBS radio stations) for people with inadequate reception. It is the Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service.
To check eligibility for VAST, go to ...
https://myswitch.digitalready.gov.au
... and enter your address. Local transmitters, and their signal strength, will be identified and eligibility to access VAST decided on that basis.
If eligible, permission to access is granted almost immediately via the web and the task is to then get an antenna supplier to supply a dish and decoder. An unused Austar dish, in adequate condition, can be used; they target the same (geostationary) satellite as VAST. These dishes seem invariably to be left in situ, complete with wiring, when subscriptions are cancelled.
The set-up cost will vary. The decoder is around $300, a satellite dish (if needed) about twice that, plus 1-2 hours’ labour. The cost seems likely to fall somewhere in the $500-$1100 range.
Incidentally, the same service is available to travellers, such as ‘grey nomads’, seeking reliable TV.