2023-24 Australian Government Budget Update

Highlights:

• Indexation delivers minor additional funding to meet rising costs
• Funding for assessment of broadcast infrastructure in First Nations communities

The 2023-2024 Federal Budget was handed down last night by the Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Budget papers show the allocation to the Community Broadcasting Program has increased in dollar amount because it has been indexed to keep up with rising costs, which is now part of ongoing budget policy.

The CBAA had been asking for this reform for some years and we were pleased to see this commitment made by the Albanese Government in the October Budget last year. This year’s Budget figures show why this is so important. Due to indexation, funding allocation to the community broadcasting program has increased by over $600,000 over the next three years. This increase is offset by rising costs, so the sector’s Government funding remains stable in real terms.

The CBAA is continuing to call for Government to commit a substantial increase in funding to build station resilience and enhance the sector’s community impact. We are working with the Department to support their review into sector sustainability and to ensure this process accurately captures the positive community impact broadcasters achieve reflects a clear understanding of the funding required to support sector sustainability. Many stations have participated in the Department’s recent survey of the program, which is one input to this process. We are hopeful that additional support for broadcasters will be achieved once this work is completed before the end of the year.

First Nations Broadcasting Infrastructure

Additional funding will be provided in 2023–24 to support the continued provision of broadcasting services in remote and First Nations communities and to initiate work to assess the state of broadcasting transmission and reception equipment in these areas.

Other measures announced last night included:

• $2.5 million over two years from 2023–24 to build media literacy in culturally and linguistically diverse communities
• $1.6 million in 2023–24 to develop the News Media Assistance Program and support public interest journalism and media diversity
• $286 million to deliver on Australia’s Cultural Policy: Revive including through; restoring core arts funding; establishing Creative Australia, Music Australia and Writers Australia.