First Nations Media News November 2021

CONVERGEAdelaide which was due to be held on Kaurna country from 23-26 November 2021 will now be postponed. COVID-19 is still proving disruptive to travel and to our member organisations who are working through vaccine campaigns at the moment. FNMA is providing support to our members through this period, both to keep their own staff safe, adhere to all organisational requirements and of course, keep important information flowing through to our communities.

The good news is, we are working harder than ever to bring you two awesome CONVERGE events in 2022: online in February/March and in person in November.

Got any suggestions or ideas?
We would still love to hear your suggestions or ideas for sessions that you would like to see at the next CONVERGE to make sure it's meeting your needs and expectations. If you would like to contribute your suggestions, please contact Aaliyah on converge@firstnationsmedia.org.au

Further information and a registration date will be announced soon for the online conference - watch this space!

For Broadcasters

A number of states are now mandating vaccinations for essential workers and those working with vulnerable communities. While the language of these policies varies slightly from state to state, the general trend is moving toward requiring vaccinations for media workers, particularly those travelling to and/or working with remote communities. Some states have specified that media workers must be vaccinated, others refer more broadly to authorised workers. FNMA advises its members to keep an eye on the requirements for your state and talk with your team about vaccinations as it’s quite likely all media workers will require vaccination across Australia in the coming months to attend the workplace and/or broadcast from events. For current information about the requirements in your state head to:

For Communities

Media organisations around the country are sharing messages and addressing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations in a broad range of ways. It has been great to see media organisations recording at vaccine hubs, highlighting vaxathons, sharing stories from community members about their own vaccine journey, playing 30-second spots, talking to health experts and sharing those conversations on the radio, television, social media, online and print. Some of our members have been getting great feedback from local clinics on the rising vaccination rates in communities as a result of the media campaign, but there’s still a way to go to make sure all of our communities are protected from the COVID-19 sickness. Thanks to all of our members who have been working so hard to keep their communities safe. View our recent media release highlighting this work here.

In 2020 the NIAA commissioned a roundtable process led by Hugh Watson Consulting to make recommendations for the Government’s investment in the Indigenous Broadcasting Program by gathering views from media organisations and stakeholders. The report to the NIAA has now been published and is available to view here. Its recommendations focus on policy direction and actions the NIAA could take to work with other government departments and stakeholders to support the First Nations media sector. It also notes recommendations from previous reviews which are still valid and not yet implemented. View FNMA’s summary response to the report here.

As mentioned in our last newsletter, FNMA has been working with the ACMA to reduce the administrative burden of licensing processes. Some recent changes include the option to pay apparatus license fees in advance for five years rather than annually. A small amount, but just another thing to remember and keep track of each year which can be avoided. In bigger news, the ACMA has revised its B66 license renewal form incorporating feedback from FNMA and other sector peak bodies to reduce duplication and focus more specifically on the information the ACMA needs to asses the renewal applications. The new form is simpler but does still require media organisations to demonstrate good governance and complaints handling processes to retain licenses. View the new form on the ACMA website here - FNMA thanks the ACMA for its ongoing consultation and responsiveness. If you would like a hand with license renewals or want to talk through the requirements, our Policy & Stakeholder Engagement person, Claire Stuchbery is here to assist members - get in touch anytime. The CBAA is holding a webinar to run through the new form on Tuesday 9 November, register here.

Following the inclusion of Target 17 in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap earlier this year, there is increased focus on digital inclusion at the moment. FNMA has been supporting our members and Government recently by:

Participating in the NIAA’s roundtable discussions on the development of an Indigenous Digital Inclusion Plan;
Presenting to the NSW Digital Inclusion Officer Level Working Group to share our experiences of digital ability work through inDigiMOB and the feedback we receive from members and community on digital access needs;
Submitting a response to the Regional Telecommunications Review 2021 issues paper outlining 15 recommendations to address access, affordability and ability aspects of digital inclusion. Read our response here.

The inDigiMOB team has been out and about meeting new organisations and running digital workshops in WA. After dropping in to see Ngaarda Media and the Ganalili Centre in Roebourne the team headed north to Port Hedland and then on to Broome to see what sort of tech-help First Nations organisations are in need of and to share information about using smartphones and being safe online.

Also don't forget, we're looking for new inDigiMOB staff in either NT, SA, or WA so if you think you're fairly tech-savvy, and know a thing or two about online safety and sharing your knowledge with others, take a look at these. For more information on the Project Officers opportunity click here.

FNMA is thrilled to welcome Paula Maling to our team in the indigiTUBE Project Manager role. Paula is a Yidinji and Worimi woman who grew up in Sydney; in and around the Redfern and La Perouse Aboriginal Communities.

For the past 25 years, Paula has worked within the First Nations media, arts and film industries and has held various positions at SBS Radio Sydney, Triple J Radio Sydney, ABC Television Sydney & Melbourne, Gadigal Information Service Sydney and CAAMA NT. She has also held positions in a number of NSW Government Departments, The University of Technology Sydney, and Sydney University.

In 2007 Paula created Maling Productions a television production company producing an array of

As part of our industry partnership with the ABC, FNMA members can request advice, guidance and/or training on digital products to help your organisation. The ABC Digital product team create and manage all of ABC audience facing websites and apps, as well as decisions on what software systems ABC use for tasks including e-newsletters, contact databases, CMS content management systems and audience call outs. If your organisation wants to create a new app, redesign your website, set-up an e-newsletter or sort out some technical issues with your website, just wave your hand in Steph's direction and we'll set you up with some assistance.

Congratulations to several of our members who were announced recently as finalists in the CBAA Awards. This year, the CBAA Awards received more than 320 entries across 30 award categories, representing a diverse cross-section of the community radio sector. The finalists demonstrated the strength, innovation, resilience, and perserverance at the cornerstone of community broadcasting.

The full list of Award finalists can be found on their website, with winners being announced virtually in December, and the Michael Law Award and Tony Staley Award being presented at the CBAA Conference in March 2022. Good luck!

In October, PAW released Yapa Beats 4, a compilation CD made up of 21 songs from artists across the PAW network.

The music was recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by PAW Engineers Donovan Rice, Clifford Brown, Nathaniel Sims and Ben Green with the CD artwork
designed by PAW Media Graphic Designer, Jason Woods.

The album is available as a double CD from PAW Media in Yuendumu NT, or digitally on all streaming services and music platforms, including indigiTUBE!

PAW Media’s video department has also been busy creating music videos for