The CBAA believes that the House of Representatives Standing Committee inquiry into “ways to support a vibrant and diverse network of community broadcasters” is a very welcome development as it should give the sector a great opportunity to put a public focus on the success of the sector and our needs into the future.

Within the very tight deadline for submissions the CBAA encouraged community stations to make many and varied submissions but it is vital that the messages are strong and focused on how well local stations serve their communities. After our success in 2004 in getting new Government funding for training and transmission support, we are keenly aware that next year’s pre-election opportunity will best work if the benefits of community broadcasting at the grassroots are emphasised.

The CBAA is making a framework submission addressing the terms of reference with particular attention to the fourth one the “opportunities and threats to achieving a diverse and robust network of community broadcasters”. It is clear that a large number of positive and well-expressed submissions from community broadcasters would add to the impact. We resolved not to distribute a pro forma “one size fits all” submission for stations to send in to the Inquiry because it would be interpreted as a fairly hollow attempt at campaigning. Instead we issued a set of guidelines for how to make submission which stresses the sort of information about your station’s own particular operations that the Committee might find instructive.

We acknowledge in our guidelines that the lack of resources and other challenges affecting the community broadcasting sector can be frustrating. If your station is doing it tough, you are well advised to say so, but it is important to also let the Committee know about all the dynamic and engaging programs and projects the station is running, and the important role it plays in the community, even in the face of these challenges.

It’s vital that our submissions aren’t just a shopping list of complaints and that any visits to stations, or appearances at hearings don’t create poor impressions. In 2001 a Parliamentary Standing Committee released a report from its Inquiry into Regional Radio but failed to recommend any measures to support localism in community radio. It’s a harsh reality but one of the factors that left us without any real outcomes from that inquiry was some pleading submissions that overstated the problems facing community broadcasters with little focus on our successes. It’s a general rule of thumb that Governments do not like to be dealt problems without solutions and that adjusting policy settings is preferable to operational subsidisation of industries.

We need to act strategically as an industry but to also emphasise our value to the community and significance in society. We are by far and away the largest segment of the broadcasting industry in terms of station numbers. Keep in mind that under the Broadcasting Services Act your licence is to serve an identified community interest and members of the community served must participate in the operations of the station and the selection and provision of programs.

In addition to our framework submission to the Inquiry the CBAA will follow up over the 4-5 months of the initial information gathering process with supplementary information such as the statistical results from last year’s CBOnline stations survey and (fingers crossed) a brand new 2006 McNair Ingenuity National Listener Survey, which we hope to unveil in August. We will also be closely consulting with the CBF and other sector representative bodies in scoping the new policy frameworks and funding needs that will obviously arise from the challenge that the transition to digital platforms will entail.

So what we hope for in 2006 as the “Tuning Into Community Broadcasting” unfolds is that in all our diversity, the community broadcasting sector puts forward a range of perspectives and that although we are not singing from the one songsheet, we are at least on the same page.

Barry Melville
CBAA General Manager