The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) has welcomed the formal confirmation of the 2024 funding announcement for community media in last night’s Federal Budget. This investment, now officially allocated, is an important step toward supporting a more sustainable future for the sector. Our initial response, published in December, outlines the significance of this funding for stations across Australia.
A welcome investment in community media
The 2025–26 Budget confirms $27 million in additional investment for the sector over three years, including:
- $15 million for the Community Broadcasting Program, distributed via the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF); and
- $12 million for the Indigenous Broadcasting and Media Program, delivered through the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
The CBAA’s CEO Jon Bisset today affirmed his initial response:
“The additional funding announced is sorely needed. The existing programs have not been funded to keep pace with rising costs nor respond to the contemporary challenges and needs of broadcasters.
We are very pleased the Government is responding to stations’ needs with urgency and moving on additional funding now. This new funding will address an evident need for additional Government support. It will ease the pressure on the existing grant funding programs that are struggling to meet the demand from local stations and the communities they serve.”
He noted however that there is still a substantial ongoing gap between funding demand and available support. While the Australian Government’s continued commitment is encouraging, unmet need continues to limit the sector’s capacity to serve the needs of Australian communities:
“This funding is a welcome sign that the Government values the role community broadcasters play in our democracy and local communities, but there is still a significant gap. As demand continues to grow, so too must our investment. To truly meet the needs of the communities we serve, we must move toward a sustainable, long term and indexed funding model.”
Funding still falls short: what the latest CBF Annual Report reveals
The CBF’s 2024 Annual Report shows the impact of both rising demand and limited resources. In 2023–24 more than $30.3 million was requested by stations through 421 applications, but only $20.5 million was available to be allocated across 310 grants, leaving
a shortfall of nearly $10 million.
Average annual shortfall over the past eight years has exceeded $9.7 million.
Of the $14.42 million requested for Development and Operations: $14.42 million requested, $6.47 million allocated; for Content Grants, of the $5.7 million requested, only $3.9 million could be allocated.
Despite this, the CBF’s grants have supported transformative projects:
- 4TTT (Townsville, QLD): $80,247 for a new training studio and technical upgrade;
- VALID’s Airwaves Access (VIC): $19,554 for a disability-led radio and podcast series
- The Wire (National): $160,000 for expanded current affairs production and gender equity initiatives.
The road ahead
The CBAA looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Federal Government to find ways to address these significant funding gaps and enable the sector to deliver on Roadmap 2033.