First Nations Media News

That's right folks, the First Nations Media Awards are happening! Like most things this year, they'll be a little different. While we can't get together in person this year, we still want to celebrate all of your fantastic work. So we'll be broadcasting the Awards through NITV and indigiTUBE.

This year First Nations media organisations have been working harder than ever to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, cover important Black Lives Matter conversations, promote the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, share breaking news from communities and tell our stories, our histories and truths. We want to make sure that work is recognised and celebrated. We're excited to be delivering the Awards in a new way with support from NITV.

Nominations are open now and close on Friday 6 November. Get on it!

The successful trial of the Mukurtu archive platform is now coming to an end. This project involved the establishment of the First Nations Media archiving hub and a 6 month trial, which is currently being evaluated. A big thanks to the three pilots organisations; PAKAM, PAW Media and Umeewarra Media – who have done a great job learning how to use the Mukurtu platform and loading content onto their own archive. Thanks also for funding support from the Indigenous Languages and Arts program. Our application for ILA funding to expand the Mukurtu rollout was not successful but we are continuing to seek other funding sources.

FNMA also established a First Nations Media History archive on the hub. We welcome any contributions of sector history images, audio or video that tell part of the sector’s history!

FNMA has been successful in an application for ABA funding to set up a First Nations Media Digitisation Facility in Alice Springs in 2021. More details to follow once this project gets underway.

The FNMA Archiving Resources Toolkit is also nearing completion. This interactive portal is set up for different users – Archive Managers, Archive Workers and Mukurtu Users - to access the relevant resources they need, either to view online as a step-by-step guides or download. The resources are set out in 6 key sections – Plan, Prepare, Catalogue, Digitise, Share and Build. Any feedback on the draft Toolkit and resources is welcome.

BIG SOUND 2020 goes virtual with an awesome lineup of emerging artists from around the nation, featuring 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musos in their October lineup. We are super stoked to have represented six of these artists across all three volumes of First Sounds this year. DOBBY and Boox Kid feature on VOL.1, J-MILLA on VOL.2 and VOL.3 spotlights Lydia Fairhall and the She Oaks, Yirgjhilya and Kee'ahn. It has been a tough year for our music industry but First Nations artists have kept their foot on the gas!

FIRST SOUNDS is a series of albums compiled and distributed by indigiTUBE and Amrap, delivering new First Nations music to Australian radio.

The CBAA Community Radio Awards finalists we’re announced on Tuesday, 13 October and will continue until Friday, 23 October. CBAA will provide a full list of all category finalists here, on Friday.

Congratulations to Ngaarda Media, 3CR Community Radio, Koori Radio 93.7FM, Harvey Community Radio - 96.5fm, 3KND Kool 'N' Deadly, PAW Media and Wilcannia River Radio so far for being nominated in various categories for the 2020 CBAA Community Radio Awards! Awards winners will be announced on Monday 2 November 2020.

The annual 2020 CBAA Conference event is also approaching. The conference is delivered entirely online on 28-31 October 2020. Catherine Liddle will be joining Jon Bisset and Jo Curtin for a discussion on changes and transformation in the media environment to wrap up the conference on the 31st. Register here.

The Community Media Training Organisation (CMTO) has two courses new courses on offer for broadcasters and media staff. They are:

Emergency Preparedness Course - This is an opportunity for media organisations to apply to have a trainer come to your station and train your team in how to respond to emergency situations on air. Participants will learn to understand emergency broadcasting, plan for emergency broadcasts, understand emergency agencies and critical information and understand how to prepare content before, during and after emergencies. You will need 8-10 people from your organisation who are interested in undertaking this course and an idea of when you would like the training to take place at your station. Applications are due by 16 November. Read more.

Introduction to Journalism in Community Media - This course is for individual broadcasters and/or emerging journalists who want to expand their reporting skills. It is a free online course covering community journalism ethics, why local storytelling is so important, how to report on national issues from a local perspective, writing for radio news and current affairs programs, interviewing techniques and how to record and edit audio. It commences on 9 November and runs until 18 December. Applications are due by Friday 30 October. Read more.

The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department, the South Australian Film Corporation, and the City of Adelaide have announced the five emerging First Nations filmmakers selected for the Kaurna Welcome to Country Video project. Isaac Coen Lindsay, Adam Dixon Galea, Kiara Milera, Clem Newchurch and Damien Wanganeen are receiving paid training and mentoring, from pre-production through to delivery, to create a series of Kaurna Welcome to Country videos that will be screened before every film at the 2020 Adelaide Film Festival. The five successful applicants will work together with Living Stories to produce the videos.

On Tuesday 6 October the Government announced a delayed Federal Budget for 2020-21 which outlines planned expenditure for this financial year. This Budget is heavily focused on employment initiatives and economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. First Nations Media Australia did put in a pre-budget submission to Treasury requesting a funding commitment to support our sector's 9 Calls for Action. However no additional funding for our sector was announced for this year. While this is disappointing we will continue our leadership activities on behalf of the sector, calling for increased support for the essential work First Nations media organisations are undertaking across the country and the significant contribution it makes to Closing the Gap. For this year, funding arrangements through the IAS remain unchanged.
First Nations Media Australia circulated an update to members outlining programs relevant to employment, digital connectivity, arts, culture & languages and other media formats which can be viewed here. We also put out a Budget response media release which is available to view via the button below.

Giving Tuesday is a global campaign which connects generous people and businesses with not-for-profits, community organisations and charities. It started in New York in 2012 and has grown to 50 countries around the world, including Australia. Every country participates on the same day through the Giving Tuesday website. You can put forward projects, activities and organisations for potential partnership, sponsorship or donations. Giving Tuesday will be held on 1st December, but there's lead-up promotion to it starting in the next couple of weeks so it's best to get onto it asap. Read more on their website and if you want a hand putting a campaign together get in touch with Claire.

There are different laws in each State and Territory for organisations who are requesting donations, selling merchandise or memberships and holding money-raising events. Especially for online fundraising, organisations need to make sure you have the right license for the state you're an ACNC registered charity (which many community-controlled media organisations are). You are required to have a license if you're attracting funds from New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and/or Western Australia. States that don't require a license are Victoria, ACT and South Australia. The Northern Territory doesn't have fundraising legislation, but some fundraising activities require a gambling license (such as raffles) issued through the Department of Business.
Justice Connect has put together a handy guide of who to contact and how to apply in each State/Territory here. If you want any help making sense of it, get in touch with Claire or read more.