Morrison Government invests $2.3 million to keep Indigenous broadcasters on the air

Media release - Minister Wyatt

The Morrison Government is investing $2.3 million to provide immediate infrastructure support for the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector.

Minister for Indigenous Australians the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, said Indigenous media organisations nationally will be eligible to receive funding for essential infrastructure repair and maintenance projects, enabling the continued delivery of their programming in urban, regional and remote areas. This is particularly important as we work to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the necessary information to respond to emerging COVID-19 issues, and engage in the Government's response to keep communities safe.

"Indigenous broadcasters have over the past year proven how valuable they are to Australia's media landscape, providing culturally appropriate content, often in language, made for and by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," Minister Wyatt said.

"This one-off funding boost will allow many broadcasters to properly service and maintain their equipment to ensure their broadcasting services are reliable and can respond at short notice when important health and safety messages need to get out.

"It will also provide additional funding to 3KND, Melbourne's only Indigenous broadcaster, to produce mental health programming specific to their audience.

"Through a number of roundtable discussions, we've heard what the Indigenous broadcasting sector needs and are responding with funding that can be put to use immediately.

"It means Indigenous media can build their reliability and keep broadcasting timely, trusted and accessible for some of Australia's most vulnerable communities, especially as the vaccine roll-out continues to all communities across Australia."

This funding is in addition to their annual operational funding, and on top of funding provided in April 2020 that supported the sector adjust the way they worked during the pandemic and produce critical COVID-19 health messaging.