{"id":1230,"date":"2025-03-27T10:23:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T10:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.radioindustrynews.com.au\/?p=1230"},"modified":"2025-03-27T10:23:58","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T10:23:58","slug":"federal-budget-delivers-boost-for-community-broadcasting-but-unmet-demand-remains-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/federal-budget-delivers-boost-for-community-broadcasting-but-unmet-demand-remains-high\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Budget Delivers Boost for Community Broadcasting &#8211; But Unmet Demand Remains High"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ContentUserControl\">\n<div class=\"blogs-block \">\n<div id=\"MainCopy_ctl04_UpdatePanel3\">\n<div class=\"row margin-top-large\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) has welcomed the formal confirmation of the 2024 funding announcement for community media in last night\u2019s Federal Budget. This investment, now officially allocated, is an important step toward supporting a more sustainable future for the sector.\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbaa.org.au\/blogs\/cbaa-comms\/2024\/12\/15\/new-investments-to-support-community-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"https:\/\/www.cbaa.org.au\/blogs\/cbaa-comms\/2024\/12\/15\/new-investments-to-support-community-media\" aria-label=\"Our initial response - open in a new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"\"><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\"><span data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Our initial response<\/span><\/span><\/a><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">, published in December, outlines the significance of this funding for stations across Australia.<\/span><br \/>\n<span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">A welcome investment in community media<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/budget.gov.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"https:\/\/budget.gov.au\/\" aria-label=\"The 2025\u201326 Budget - open in a new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"\">The 2025\u201326 Budget<\/a>\u00a0confirms $27 million in additional investment for the sector over three years, including:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Courier New&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;o&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">$15 million for the Community Broadcasting Program, distributed via the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF); and\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Courier New&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;o&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">$12 million for the Indigenous Broadcasting and Media Program, delivered through the National Indigenous Australians Agency.<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">The CBAA\u2019s CEO Jon Bisset today affirmed his initial response:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">\u201cThe 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">We are very pleased the Government is responding to stations\u2019 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.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">He noted however that there is still a substantial ongoing gap between funding demand and available support. While the Australian Government\u2019s continued commitment is encouraging, unmet need continues to limit the sector\u2019s capacity to serve the needs of Australian communities:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">\u201cThis 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.\u00a0 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.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\"><br \/>\n<\/span><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">Funding still falls short: what the latest CBF Annual Report reveals<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/cbf.org.au\/annual-report-our-year-in-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"https:\/\/cbf.org.au\/annual-report-our-year-in-review\/\" aria-label=\"The CBF\u2019s 2024 Annual Report - open in a new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"\"><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\"><span data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">The CBF\u2019s 2024 Annual Report<\/span><\/span><\/a><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">\u00a0shows the impact of both rising demand and limited resources. In 2023\u201324<\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">\u00a0<\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">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\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">a shortfall of nearly $10 million.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">Average annual shortfall over the past eight years has exceeded $9.7 million.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">Of the $14.42 million requested for Development and Operations: $14.42 million requested, $6.47 million allocated; for<\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">\u00a0<\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">Content Grants, of the $5.7 million requested, only $3.9 million could be allocated.<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">Despite this, the CBF\u2019s grants have supported transformative projects:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"6\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Courier New&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;o&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">4TTT (Townsville, QLD): $80,247 for a new training studio and technical upgrade;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"6\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Courier New&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;o&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">VALID\u2019s Airwaves Access (VIC): $19,554 for a disability-led radio and podcast series<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"6\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Courier New&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[9675],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;o&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">The Wire (National): $160,000 for expanded current affairs production and gender equity initiatives.<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">The road ahead<\/span><\/strong><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" data-uw-rm-lang=\"false\">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\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.roadmap2033.org.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"https:\/\/www.roadmap2033.org.au\/\" aria-label=\"Roadmap 2033 - open in a new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"\">Roadmap 2033<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"MainCopy_ctl04_ucPermission_dvStatsContainer\" class=\"row margin-bottom-medium margin-top-small\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ContentItemMVC\">\n<div class=\"MVCContent\">\n<div class=\"related-results-container\">\n<h2 class=\"TitleText\"><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) has welcomed the formal confirmation of the 2024 funding announcement for community media in last night\u2019s Federal Budget. This investment, now officially allocated, is an important step toward supporting a more sustainable future for the sector.\u00a0Our initial response, published in December, outlines the significance of this funding for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/federal-budget-delivers-boost-for-community-broadcasting-but-unmet-demand-remains-high\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Federal Budget Delivers Boost for Community Broadcasting &#8211; But Unmet Demand Remains High&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}