As part of its industry leadership role, FNMA seeks to ensure First Nations communities have access to information required to make informed decisions, including access to public resources necessary to provide timely and information relevant to them. This facilitates these communities being able to make informed decisions about their own lives.

FNMA is grounded in the key principles of First Nations self-empowerment and self determination, equity, and equality. These principles guide all its initiatives and efforts to
enhance the digital and media capabilities of First Nations communities. Self-empowerment and self-determination are fostered by providing the tools, training, and resources necessary for First Nations peoples to tell their own stories, manage their own media, and build digital literacy from within their communities. Equity ensures that FNMA’s programs are accessible and tailored to meet the diverse needs of all communities, recognising and addressing the unique challenges faced by urban, metropolitan, regional and remote groups. Equality is pursued by advocating for fair representation, equal opportunities, and the elimination of systemic barriers that hinder First Nations peoples’ participation in the digital and media landscapes. Together, these principles ensure that FNMA’s work not only uplifts individual communities but also contributes to a broader movement towards justice and inclusion for all First Nations peoples.

FNMA firmly believes that digital inclusion should empower First Nations peoples to fully
benefit from the digital economy, should they choose to engage with it: providing access to adequate training, resources and support alongside connection and hardware, enables First Nations individuals and communities to leverage technology for economic empowerment in a safe and informed way. This includes opportunities for remote work, digital entrepreneurship, access to online markets, and the ability to develop and share culturally relevant content on global platforms. This approach ensures that digital inclusion is not just about access, but also enhancing the overall well-being and self-determination of First Nations peoples through meaningful participation and the ability to harness digital opportunities for socio-economic growth, ‘on-country’ telehealth and education, and government services.

Representatives from across the First Nations media industry will gather again this November on Ngambri/Ngunnawal Country in Canberra for CONVERGE 2024.

CONVERGE brings together First Nations Media Australia members and stakeholders from across Australia in a multi-day First Nations media sector conference. A curated program will see delegates engaging in forums, discussions and industry showcases to share knowledge and experiences in this key sector networking event.

For more information or to become a sponsor please email converge@firstnationsmedia.org.au.

This is an official FNMA alert; we would like to inform you, that there will be upcoming changes, to our contact information that will occur in the next few months.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding during this transition.

Update coming soon.

We are fast approaching the end of the 6 months multi-media journalism training.

The MasterClasses have been especially inspiring with Miriam Corowa from the ABC finding us people within the ABC who can present on the topic at hand. They bring significant industry experience in the mix, which reveals their role and inspires our journalist trainees to meet these standards.

We have now trained about 30 people over the 4 years we have conducted this training through Batchelor Institute and the Community Media Training Organisation. It’s been a successful project, with a number of trainees finding related work in communications and front office client liaison.

However, it’s unlikely that we will retain this program in 2025. If we are successful in funding, we will be expanding the training in mid-management areas, such as Project Management, Broadcast /IT and Financial Management.  Any suggestions from members for training will also be investigated, so contact us with your ideas.