Advocacy Wrap-Up Q1 2024

It’s been a busy few weeks for sector advocacy. The CBAA has met with over 50 politicians to build support for Roadmap 2033. We made important submissions, in particular advocating for the role of community radio in the providing news services.

The CBAA has met with over 50 MPs, Senators and Ministers to build support for our Roadmap 2033 and our Federal Pre-Budget Submission 2024-2025. There is strong recognition across Federal Parliament of our sector's positive impact in communities and many MPs support our call for a sustainable funding base for the future. If we are successful in our budget advocacy there will be more grant funds available to broadcasters through the CBF. We continue to work with the Department and the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP towards this goal. Let us know if you are speaking to your local MP in the coming weeks and have the opportunity to speak with them about sustainable funding for our sector.  

Two weeks ago we made a submission to the ACMA on a review of the ABS journalism definition as part of our ongoing participation in the ACMA’s consultation on the Media Diversity Measurement Framework. This week we are making a submission to the ACCC on the impact of Meta announcing its withdrawal from the Australian news market. We have attended the Public Interest Journalism Initiative Roundtable concerning our submission to the News Media Assistance Program Consultation and the future of Australian news. We made a submission to the Productivity Commission on the Future Foundations for Giving draft report. All of these process help community broadcasters to be recognised for their news and information services and to access financial support for their work. 

We have also been supporting the Australian Community Television Alliance (ACTA) to keep Community Television on air (good news announced this week!). Earlier this month we also appeared before the Senate Environment and Communications Committees alongside ACTA to talk about our submission  and supplementary submission on new legislation designed to ensure that Australian free-to-air TV stations – including community television - remain “prominent” and easy to find on television sets alongside the proliferation of streaming services and other apps. Following that hearing, we made a second supplementary submission on the prominence legislation, as well as meeting with Ministerial and other advisers to discuss the issues and how we can move forward with a radio prominence framework quickly, so local stations broadcasts are easy to find in cars and smart speakers.  

We continue to work closely with the ACMA as they progress with the review of our Community Broadcasting Codes of Practice.