“We are asking Governments to be part of growing and sustaining our sector for the benefit of First Nations peoples as well as developing greater understanding of our cultures for the benefit of non- Indigenous Australia
Our national network includes more than 40 organisations that service 235 broadcast locations. Collectively those radio services reach nearly 50% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country with audiences of around 320,000 listeners each week
We are producing and broadcasting content in over twenty languages. We’ve been making media through film, television, radio and print for more than four decades and in recent years diversified to on-line platforms.
People watch and listen and interact because our media tell positive stories about First Nations people relevant to their community and lives, and in many places, it’s in their first language.
Our media engages our audiences in a two-way dialogue that is both culturally appropriate and relevant.
Our media is an essential service, particularly in the many areas across Australia where it is the only means of receiving emergency information and health messages, including local languages.
Our media saves lives in the immediate sense as a primary source of information, but also through the stories we tell and the impact those stories have on our people’s social and emotional wellbeing.
That’s why our media has impact and that’s why we want Governments to recognise that our media matters.
First Nations Media Australia chair Dot West
#OurMediaMatters was the message First Nations media organisations from around the country took directly to politicians and policy makers in Canberra this week from Monday 20 August .
FNMA’s goals in calling for action are to close the gap on disadvantage, to inform, connect and empower communities, to provide meaningful jobs, skills and business opportunities, and to provide our children with opportunities, a strong sense of identity, inclusion and pride in their languages and culture.
Download the full call to action
Calls-For-Action-2018-Consolidated-CFA-Documents
Peak body First Nations Media Australia (FNMA) showcased the work of member organisations and how First Nations media services play a crucial role in increasing community cohesion, building community resilience and creating meaningful employment and economic opportunity
Picture below 2017 Conference
The Festival theme was Lutjurringkulala Nintiringama Ngapartji Ngapartji meaning ‘come together to learn and share’.
Over 100 delegates travelled the long red desert highway to be welcomed to Country, culture, big night skies and Tjukurrpa by Irrunytju traditional owners and community leaders. The opening ceremony featured a Turlku (dance) performance of the Minyma Kutjara (Two Sisters) story that passes Irrunytju community. The week-long event affirmed the remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media industry as a powerful and connected voice for generations to come.
Broadcasters
Indigenous Community Television (ICTV)
National Indigenous Radio Service (NIRS)
National Indigenous Television (NITV)
Broadband for the Bush Alliance
Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT
Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN)
Australian Smart Communities Association
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association
Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT)
Centre for Remote Health (CRH)
Desert Knowledge Australia (DKA)
Indigenous Remote Communications Association
Mid West Development Commission
National Centre of Indigenous Excellence
National Rural Health Alliance
Regional Development Australia, Northern Territory
Remote Area Planning and Development (RAPAD)
Swinburne Institute for Social Research
FNMA has identified nine calls for action to Government that address four key aims
- To increase jobs and skills
- To improve the sector’s capacity and sustainability
- To enhance social inclusion, and
- To preserve culture and language.
Some of the calls for action are budget neutral and simply ask for policy amendments to recognise First Nations broadcasters as a separate license category under the Broadcasting Services Act.
- Broadcasting Act Reform for First Nations Broadcasting. Download
- Increase in Operational and Employment Funding. Download
- Live and Local Radio Expansion Program. Download
- Strengthening of First Nations News Services. Download
- Expanding Training and Career Pathway Programs. Download
- Upgrading Infrastructure and Digital Networks. Download
- Recognising First Nations Broadcasters as the Preferred Channel for Government Messaging. Download
- Preserving First Nations Media Archives. Download
- Establishing an Annual Content Production Fund. Download
- All Calls for Action. Download
Other calls for action would require a funding commitment, for example to underpin First Nations media capacity to act as training and employment hubs.