Indigenous Broadcasting Program

The Indigenous Broadcasting Program (IBP) supports Indigenous community radio broadcasting through direct funding for individual broadcasters, and indirect support of activities such as regional and peak bodies, radio content production and media training for the sector. The program also supports Imparja Television, Australia’s only Indigenous-owned commercial television service. The program’s main objective is to help provide broadcasting services that promote Indigenous culture and language and inform Indigenous Australians on accessing a range of health, legal, education and housing services.

The IBP is a competitive funding program. Not all funding requests are able to be met. In 2007-08, the IBP is providing $14.0 million in funding to support 77 Indigenous community broadcasting projects in rural, remote, urban and regional locations. Current funding includes support for:

• community radio stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Darwin;

• licensed community radio stations in 19 regional centres;

• 32 Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Services (RIBS);

• seven Remote Indigenous Media Organisations (RIMOs) which provide technical support and training for RIBS;

• Imparja Television which distributes National Indigenous Television (NITV) and 8 community radio feeds;

• six Indigenous organisations producing radio content and distributing it to Indigenous broadcasters; and

• two Indigenous media peak bodies;

A review of the Indigenous Broadcasting Program was undertaken in 2006. The report of the review is available here: Review of Indigenous Broadcasting.