Eligibility

Is my household eligible?

To receive the Satellite Subsidy Scheme (SSS) you must meet the following three criteria:

• eligible area
• eligible dwelling
• eligible applicant.

Eligible areas

An eligible area must:

• be reliant on analog retransmission services from a self-help TV tower that's not being converted to digital.

In an SSS area, an eligible household should be receiving at least a watchable picture from a self-help tower, but not able to receive an adequate digital television signal from a terrestrial broadcaster-operated site in the same licence area.

Eligible dwellings

An eligible dwelling must be self contained, have a distinct address and be lawfully occupied (or suitable for occupation) as a place of residence. The following are eligible dwellings:

• a free-standing house
• a semi-detached house, terrace house or townhouse (under a single title)
• a flat, unit, apartment or townhouse (not under a single title)
• a caravan, mobile home, cabin or like structure that is permanently located at a residential park
• communal residential living premises, such as group homes, disability homes, nursing homes and retirement villages with communal living arrangements - these may be eligible for one subsidy per distinct address.

If you aren’t sure whether your dwelling is eligible, check ineligible dwellings below or call the Digital Ready Information Line on 1800 20 10 13, 8am to midnight (AEST), 7 days.

Eligible applicants

An eligible applicant must be:

• the owner, landlord or tenant* of the dwelling where the satellite television equipment is to be installed
• an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and
• aged 18 years or over.

*Tenants applying for the SSS on behalf of their landlord must have received their landlord's permission for the installation to take place.

If I’m eligible, will I have to pay anything?

Yes. To receive SSS assistance, you must pay a household contribution amount, payable at the time of installation. The amount is between $200-$250, depending on your location.

Ineligible dwellings


The SSS is not available to non-residential dwellings such as the following:

• places of business
• commercial accommodation such as hotel rooms, holiday apartments, serviced apartments, bed and breakfast establishments, boarders' rooms and dormitories*
• secondary residential premises that are not a distinct address (for example some granny flats and staff quarters)
• hospitals
• educational facilities
• barracks (military and civil)
• mining camps
• corrective and detention facilities
• mobile premises (for example boats, campervans, caravans and buses)
• incomplete or condemned dwellings.

*Some mixed-use dwellings that include a residential and business function, such as a bed and breakfast where the owner/operator resides on the premises, may be eligible for a single subsidised installation package.

Remote Indigenous communities

Households in remote Indigenous communities eligible for SSS assistance don’t need to apply online or through the Digital Ready Information Line. Further information for these communities will be available locally closer to the SSS rollout. For more details on rollout dates in eligible Indigenous communities, see SSS towns.

Caravan or residential parks

All dwellings located within the boundaries of a caravan or residential park must provide a valid copy of one of the following documents to the Digital Switchover Taskforce:

• residential tenancy agreement
• residential park site agreement
• residential park tenancy agreement
• long-term holiday site agreement.

The applicant and an authorised representative of the caravan or residential park must sign the agreement, which must be for a term of at least six months from the date of application for SSS.

Once a copy of the valid agreement has been received and reviewed, you will be advised if you're eligible for the scheme.