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Community Broadcasting Review Findings Released

By CBAA Comms posted 06-03-2025 11:11

  

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts has released a Community Broadcasting Sector Sustainability Review – Findings Report.

The report provides findings and recommendations to government and industry on how to best support community broadcasting into the future.

The Minister for Communications and the Minister for Indigenous Australians are now considering the Department’s findings.

The Findings Report recommends:  

  • Reform to Community Broadcasting Program (CBP) granting arrangements, funding priorities, granting streams and processes.  

  • Reform to the Broadcasting Services Act to modernise operations 

  • Develop a First Nations Broadcasting Strategy to improve delivery of Indigenous Broadcasting and Media Program funding in-line with Closing the Gap priority reforms 

Other findings in the report raise the need for the sector to reduce station costs, increase and diversify revenue streams, and improve program effectiveness. These findings suggest: 

  • increasing CBP funding in the short-term to address funding priorities including, workforce capability, news and journalism, music, arts and culture and digital technology and transmission 

  • using grants to support stations to implement revenue diversification strategies 

  • amending sponsorship rules under the Broadcasting Services Act to increase and diversify revenue 

  • centralising sector administrative and technology services and increasing sector-wide initiatives  

  • utilising off-air promotional opportunities and developing other partnerships 

CBAA looks forward to working with all members and the Government to consider the findings and moving quickly to implement positive reforms that enhance the impact and sustainability of all community broadcasters.

The release of the Report comes after the announcement of: 

  • an additional $9 million funding for three years for community broadcasting in the December mid-year budget. 

  • a recently announced new competitive grant program of up to $10 million for eligible multicultural media organisations to transition to sustainable new media practices; and 

  • an allocated $116.7 million over four years to support and build the sustainability and capacity of news organisations to deliver public interest journalism and local news under the News Media Assistance Program (NewsMAP) 

Read: Ministerial Press Release 

Read: Findings Report 

CBAA CEO Jon Bisset with Minister for Communications the Hon Michelle Rowland MP
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