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| First Nations Media Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | First Nations Media Australia |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Location | Australia |
| Type | Nonprofit peak body |
First Nations Media Australia is the national peak body representing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media organisations across Australia. It provides advocacy, sector development, training, and cultural governance support to a network of community broadcasters, multimedia producers, and arts organisations. The organisation links regional and remote services with national institutions, cultural centres, funding bodies, and regulatory agencies.
The organisation emerged from a lineage of initiatives including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission forums, the establishment of Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association and Koori Radio movements, and the community broadcasting reforms of the Australian Broadcasting Authority era. Precursors include the founding of CAAMA Radio and the evolution of Goolarri Media Enterprises, BUMIQ initiatives, and the development of Indigenous Community Television pilot projects. Key milestones involve interactions with the Australian Communications and Media Authority, campaigns alongside National Indigenous Television, and contributions to inquiries led by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts. The organisation’s early strategy drew on models from Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, collaboration with Indigenous Land Corporation stakeholders, and advocacy influenced by leaders from Djuki Mala, Deadly Awards organisers, and representatives associated with Mabo v Queensland (No 2). Over time it worked with community partners such as Bush Telegraph, Noongar Radio, and Radio Redfern to expand services.
Governance is informed by representatives from regional members such as CAAMA, Radio River, Warlpiri Media Association, Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring, Central Land Council, and community stations like Koori Radio and 4K1G. The board has included figures with professional ties to National Indigenous Television, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Screen Australia, and the Australian Council for the Arts. Policy and compliance liaise with regulators including the Australian Communications and Media Authority and legislators in the Parliament of Australia. Advisory partnerships extend to cultural governance experts affiliated with Ngarinyin, Yorta Yorta, Tiwi, Yolngu, and Arrernte custodians, and legal advice draws on practitioners linked to Mabo, Native Title Act 1993, and firms that have worked on Stolen Generations reparations.
Programs include training and capacity-building delivered in partnership with institutions such as Charles Darwin University, TAFE NSW, Victoria University, Griffith University, and Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Services cover broadcasting support for networks like National Indigenous Radio Service, content distribution through Indigenous Community Television frameworks, and production assistance interfacing with Screen Australia, SBS, ABC Radio National, and ABC Indigenous. Cultural safety and editorial policy work with arts organisations including Bangarra Dance Theatre, Belvoir, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and community festivals like Garma Festival and Blak Dot Festival. Media literacy initiatives collaborate with Reconciliation Australia, Lowitja Institute, and university research centres such as ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research.
Advocacy has targeted funding mechanisms like those administered by Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, reform of broadcasting licenses under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, and representation in reviews by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission where relevant. Policy work engages with parliamentary inquiries including the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia and partnerships with peak bodies such as National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia, and Australian Communications Consumer Action Network. Campaigns have intersected with national debates involving Closing the Gap, Uluru Statement from the Heart, and legal frameworks informed by Native Title Act 1993 precedent and advocacy tied to Human Rights Commission reports.
The organisation supports community media outlets including CAAMA Radio, Noongar Radio, 3KND, 2CUZFM, Goolarri Media, Radio Redfern, Koori Radio, and remote services like Pordenone. It has aided productions screened on ABC TV, SBS Television, National Indigenous Television, and festival circuits such as Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival. Collaborations have involved creators and works connected to Warwick Thornton, Rolf de Heer's Ten Canoes, Nakkiah Lui, Rachel Perkins, Trent Dalton, Blak Douglas, and music partnerships with artists linked to Thelma Plum, Baker Boy, Archie Roach, Yothu Yindi, and Kev Carmody.
Funding sources and partnerships include grants and contracts from the Australia Council for the Arts, Screen Australia, Australian Communications and Media Authority, and state-based arts agencies such as Create NSW and Creative Victoria. Philanthropic partnerships have involved foundations like Ian Potter Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation, and corporate sponsorships from entities such as Telstra, Westpac Foundation, and broadcasters including SBS and ABC. Collaborative research and training have been supported by universities including University of Melbourne, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, Flinders University, and industry bodies like Commercial Radio Australia and the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance.
The organisation’s work has contributed to increased Indigenous representation across platforms recognized by awards and institutions such as the Helpmann Awards, AACTA Awards, Deadly Awards, Walkley Awards, and recognition at Sydney Festival. Impact assessments cite partnerships with health campaigns like Close the Gap, public inquiries such as those led by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and community outcomes aligned with Lowitja Institute research. International exchanges have linked peers from First Peoples' Cultural Council in Canada, Sami Parliament delegations, and festivals such as South by Southwest where Indigenous media practitioners presented work.