First Nations Media News : New People : Indigenous Focus Day : Surveys : Industry News : Opportunities

The Indigenous Focus Day is a free one-day forum for First Nations people and organisations to discuss their digital inclusion needs and challenges, particularly in remote Australia. The IFD event will be held in Alice Springs on 27th June and hosted by First Nations Media Australia, with support from Telstra, ACCAN and the Broadband for the Bush Alliance (recently disbanded). The theme for this year’s Indigenous Focus Day is Shaping our Digital Future: Apurte Akaltye-antheme (learning together).

We are pleased to welcome Senator Malarndirri McCarthy who will be delivering a keynote address. The day will be facilitated by Christine Ross, an Arrernte/Kaytetye woman, and will include 14 presentations and case studies by inspiring speakers from across remote and regional Australia. This will provide background for people to share knowledge and practical solutions and develop tangible policy recommendations to take to government to improve digital access, affordability, skills, services and opportunities for First Nations people.

The event is focused on stakeholders related to the communications industry and will be followed by a showcase from 5-7pm which is open to the public to learn about innovative digital projects and apps in development in this space. Bush food canapés and soft drinks will be provided by local Aboriginal catering company Kungkas Can Cook.

Indigenous Focus Day Registration:
If you are interesting in attending the Indigenous Focus Day please contact Events Coordinator Jacinta Barbour jacinta@firstnationsmedia.org.au

Over the past five weeks we’ve had Jawun secondee, Belinda Clark, working with us to develop a Workforce Development Action Plan. The Plan takes the recommendations from the Employment & Skills Development Strategy Report developed in partnership with the Jumbunna Institute and outlines the steps required to implement those recommendations.

The implementation of this Plan will be largely undertaken by our incoming Industry Development Officer (stay tuned for an announcement on that position!)

First Nations Media Australia has been holding monthly catch-up meetings via telepresence to support collaboration between media organisations across a range of activities such as content-sharing, resolutions for technical issues, collective funding submissions and increased networking. Feedback from participants has been really good, particularly as a way to keep in touch with each other in between major events.

The meetings are organised into groups of remote, regional and urban stations to address common themes in different areas of the sector. If you would like to come along to the next meeting in early July, please contact our Events & Member Services Officer, Jacinta Barbour on jacinta@firstnationsmedia.org.au and she will send you a calendar invite.

Daniel Featherstone and Claire Stuchbery travelled to Sydney last week to participate in the ACMA’s Future Delivery of Radio discussion. This event brought together stakeholders from across the radio industry (commercial, ABC, SBS and community services) to discuss the platform and spectrum options for radio delivery into the future. The ACMA has released a Future Delivery of Radio Issues Paper and is calling for responses by 12 July. First Nations Media Australia will write a submission in addition to feedback provided at the plenary in Sydney last week.

While in Sydney, Daniel and Claire caught up with our friends at Koori Radio, IndigenousX, the CBAA, CMTO, AFTRS, Spots & Space and ACCAN.
Then it was over to Canberra to provide updates to the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, AIATSIS and Department of Communications and the Arts. It was a productive week of meetings, sharing the important work our sector is undertaking and developing plans for upcoming projects and events.

First Nations Media Australia has congratulated all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives on their election to the 46th Parliament of Australia. In particular, we have welcomed the appointment of Minister Wyatt as the first Aboriginal person to serve as the Minister for Indigenous Australians.

Daniel Featherstone and Claire Stuchbery met with Minister Wyatt in Canberra last week to discuss the critical role of First Nations media in the development of a Voice to Parliament.

The discussion also provided an opportunity to brief the Minister on the Strong Voices - Stronger Communities employment and skills development strategy for our sector and discuss the infrastructure and funding challenges facing our sector in a convergent media landscape.

The Minister also met with representatives of the Coalition of Peaks to discuss the work being undertaken to form a new Agreement on Closing the Gap, with contributions from First Nations Media Australia to that process. Minister Wyatt has been interviewed by Ngaarda Media, CAAMA, NIRS/Bumma Bippera Media and Koori Radio over the past couple of weeks and intends to work closely with First Nations media to keep communities informed of progress in the Parliament. We look forward to working closely with Minister Wyatt and his office over the coming years

The 20th Remote Indigenous Media Festival will be held on Kaurareg land on beautiful Waiben (Thursday Island) in the Torres Strait from 22-27 September 2019. It will be co-hosted by Torres Strait Islander Media Association (TSIMA 4MW), the voice of the Torres Strait. The RIMF is a biennial industry event for building the capacity of the remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander broadcasting, media and communications sector and celebrating their achievements.

The 2019 Festival will create opportunities for producers, broadcasters, trainees and staff from all regions to network and share their knowledge, develop new skills and recognise achievements. It celebrates the unique value of remote community media for language and cultural maintenance, information sharing, meaningful employment and empowering communities through self-representation. It also provides a forum for the industry to address challenges and set new directions, and for supporters and stakeholders to gain the opportunity to engage with this valuable national network, connected to First Nations communities’ rich and continuing history. Early bird registrations will be opening soon!

Do you know someone who has improved the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities? Then nominate them for a NAIDOC Award!

These are ten National Award categories to nominate for:

Apprentice of the Year
Artist of the Year
Caring for Country Award
Elder of the Year (Male)
Elder of the Year (Female)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Person of the Year
Scholar of the Year
Sportsperson of the Year
Youth of the Year

Nominations are open now and close Friday 29 March 2019. Find out more how to nominate here.

These are just some of the fantastic photos people have been sharing about why our media matters to them. We're loving the way people have been using this campaign to express their own ideas about the importance of First Nations media organisations right around the country. It has been great to hear feedback from members about how willing community members have been to support media organisations. This campaign is a great talking point to engage with audiences.

It's not too late to show your support for our media or to share your story. To get involved just write a message, take a photo, share it with the hashtag #ourmediamatters. Or you can search #ourmediamatters and share some of the messages other people have expressed.

There are a bunch of resources on our website to help show your support. Posters, social media tiles, starter scripts for audio spots, an #ourmediamatters frame for your social media profile pic… lots of ways to make this campaign visible to your networks.

YARN CIRCLE | LANGUAGE IS CULTURE

Will you be in Sydney this Saturday? indigiTUBE is screening short films in language as part of the Yarn Circle at the Pachamama Festival, from 12pm-2.30pm. This year will kick off with a special yarn hosted by YARN Australia, focussing on the effects of colonisation on Australia’s First Peoples and our language, exploring "what does the revitalisation of Indigenous languages look like?". Hear from invited Elders and special guests, ask questions and share perspectives in this safe and facilitated space. YARN Australia’s aim is to build connection between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians.

The festival will also feature Tyson Mowarin’s film Undiscovered Country. At the 65th Sydney Film Festival last year, Undiscovered Country received the Australian Short Screenplay Award for a powerful and relatable tale of the struggles Aboriginal youth face keeping in touch with their traditions.

RPH Australia has developed new resources to help broadcasters provide radio reading programming to meet the information needs of people with a print disability. This includes programming for people who are unable to access printed material due to visual, physical or cognitive impairment, age or low literacy. It caters to their information needs and interests. The resources have been developed in partnership with the Community Radio Inclusion Support Project at 4ZZZ and the CMTO. Radio Reading Resources for Stations will help radio stations start or improve Radio Reading programs, empower new audiences and welcome new volunteers and staff members with disabilities. View the Radio Reading resources here.

BOM are seeking a Project Coordinator with excellent interpersonal skills and customer focus as they will frequently liaise with staff across different teams and with senior management. They will be expected to work under limited supervision and deliver high quality results. The candidate will have well established team work skills and have a passion for working with people and a customer-centric approach. Our ideal candidate is dedicated to supporting their team initiative.

Progress 2019 is a two day conference to bring together 1,500 change makers from across First Nations, racial justice, environment, social services, refugees, health, aid and union movements in Australia. Over the two days we'll work to breakdown silos, explore key trends and challenges facing Australia and the world, and shape a more capable, connected and courageous civil society response.

Progress 2019 is working to make sure issues of First Nations justice and self-determination are central to the conference agenda. On Thursday there will be a First Nations stream, which is being coordinated by Larissa Baldwin. It will be a chance to connect with folks from across the country, hear from people working with communities and organising at scale and talk about what First Nations people need from the rest of the movement.

Progress will take place at Melbourne Town Hall on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st June. They're offering free tickets to all First Nations participants. Register here and use the code: fullscholarship-progress2019.

APRA/AMCOS GRANTS
APRA AMCOS is pleased to announce the return of the Smugglers of Light initiative in 2019 to provide a promising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music or media practitioner with a grant of $12,000. This opportunity is open for application now and closes on Friday 21 June.

There are also Professional Development Awards aimed to create serious opportunities for songwriters and composers, with a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander award category. Previous recipients include Gotye, Ainslie Wills, Ngaiire and BRIGGS. There’s up to $15,000 available to boost your music career Applications close 27 June.