Millions of Australians watch and listen to community broadcasting.
Ask Minister Conroy to commit to supporting community broadcasters in next week's budget.
NewsCorp just announced that its quarterly revenue has jumped to $9.54 billion.
It’s astounding – and shows why Rupert Murdoch campaigned so hard against media reform in Australia. His business model doesn’t allow for competition.
But we have an ace up our sleeve. Community radio reaches 4.4 million Australians, and community television nearly as many – 3.7 million people. It’s a huge part of a strong, diverse and independent media sector and it needs our help this week to make sure it stays strong.
Join me to support community media in next Tuesday’s Budget.
I volunteered at RTR FM in Perth years ago, and still join them as often as I can to discuss the latest news. Today, community media outlets are powered by the hard work, talents and love of 22,000 volunteers, as well as 900 paid staff.
They also rely on donations from community members to keep going, but some years, there is a shortfall.
That’s where next Tuesday’s Budget comes in. The sector needs an urgent $1.4 million to switch to digital broadcasting and continue its work – but Communications Minister Stephen Conroy hasn’t done the right thing and committed to community media.
Help me convince him: write to him today.
There has been a phenomenal campaign from community radio stations, listeners and supporters for the investment they need to switch to digital broadcasting and expand their reach.
They know that people rely on them for news, views and connectedness: 70% of community media’s reach is in rural, regional and remote Australia.
Indigenous communities like the ones I visited this week in outback WA, and communities of language, faith, cultural background, education, arts and more, all connect through local radio and television.
When Labor plans to hand $13.95 billion to big mining companies in the next four years to subsidise their fossil fuels – surely they can spare $1.4 million to connect millions of people?
Yours in determination,
Scott Ludlam
Comments
This is the brush-off answer I got and you're likely to get
GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia Freecall 1800 254 649 facsimile 02 6271 1901
email department.mail@dbcde.gov.au website www.dbcde.gov.au
Dear Correspondent
Thank you for your correspondence to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, regarding additional Australian Government assistance for the community broadcasting sector’s involvement in digital radio. The Minister has asked me to review your correspondence and respond on his behalf.
As you may be aware the Government considered the community broadcasting sector’s request for additional funding for the Digital Radio Project in the 2012-13 Budget, however no increase was provided beyond the $2.2 million per annum already allocated.
Please note that there has been no cut in funding for the community digital radio sector. You may be interested to know, for digital community radio, the Government has already provided $13.5 million over four years from 2009-10 to 2012-13 to establish and provide digital radio services. The Government has also committed to an ongoing $2.2 million in annual funding to the sector and has legislated to ensure the community sector can access the radiofrequency spectrum necessary to provide digital radio services. In addition, as part of the 2011-12 Budget the Government provided the community broadcasting sector with an additional $12.5 million over four years – an increase of 25 per cent.
The primary source of funding for community broadcasting has always been and should continue to be drawn from sponsorship and donations from within those communities, independent of government support. The Government is working with the community broadcasting sector and its representative bodies to establish a more self-sustaining model for the sector’s continued involvement in digital radio.
Thank you for bringing this matter to the Minister’s attention. I trust this information will be of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Jason Dickie
A/g Assistant Secretary
Public Interest Broadcasting Branch