IRCA NEWS | New Peak Body Name :: Social Return on Investment (SROI) study

IRCA BOARD MEETS IN ALICE

The IRCA Board recently had a busy two days of face to face meetings in Alice Springs, on 8-9th May 2018. The existing Board members (Chairperson Dot West, Secretary Daisy O’Byrne, Treasurer Sylvia Tabua and Elizabeth Katakarinja) welcomed new Board members Victor Weetra, Nelson Conboy and Tanya Orman. They received a detailed induction into IRCA structure, functions, policies and planning, and met with staff to hear about current projects. The two-day meeting included a review of the policy positions developed at the CONVERGE conference, a Board meeting and some forward planning for the year. Phil Walley-Stack, who was also elected at the AGM, has stepped down from his role at Noongar Radio and consequently from IRCA Board.

OUR MEDIA EDUCATES

" I am a Nurrunga/Kaurna man from Adelaide. I enjoy spending time with family. My football team is Port Power. I have volunteered on radio most of my life. I currently do two shows on Radio Adelaide, Nunga Wangga Media Corporation and Yarnin Country. I enjoy panelling, presenting and hope to one day help set up Adelaide’s first Indigenous radio station. I am currently the Chairperson of Nunga Wangga Media Corporation and Director on the IRCA board. It a great honour to represent my fellow presenters and community on both boards.

I enjoy meeting new and great people through my travels and seeing how different people do things. Meeting diverse people from all over Australia is also good, I like to hear good yarns from all over and tell some as well. Radio is my passion and I hope to be doing Radio for a lot longer. I am glad to be part of IRCA"

Victor Weetra, Nunga Wangga

#OURMEDIAMATTERS

6 JUNE 2018 | ACIKE BUILDING, CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY, DARWIN

The Indigenous Focus Day (IFD) is a free one-day invitation-only event designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to share experiences and ideas, showcase digital applications and projects, and discuss strategies for improving Indigenous digital inclusion, particularly in remote Australia. First Nations community organisations and people are invited to attend and contribute to this important discussion. Spaces are very limited so email manager@irca.net.au if you are interested in attending.

The 5th IFD is hosted by Indigenous Remote Communications Association and the Broadband our the Bush Alliance, with sponsorship support from Telstra and ACCAN. The Indigenous Focus Day will be facilitated by Christine Ross and features a keynote address by Senator Malarndirri McCarthy and presentations by Leonard Hill from DPMC and Stephen Hagan from Batchelor Institute.
The IFD will be followed by the 2-day Broadband for the Bush Forum on 7-8 June. Check out the outcomes of the 2017 Indigenous Focus Day, where delegates put forward the policy proposal that Indigenous Digital Inclusion should become a Closing the Gap measure.

OUR MEDIA MATTERS - COMMUNIQUE FROM CONVERGE BRISBANE

To view the Communique of key policy positions from the CONVERGE conference held in Brisbane in March, CLICK HERE. Delegates at CONVERGE called on the Australian Government to work collaboratively with First Nations broadcasters and media producers to: 1) Formulate and implement an updated First Nations broadcasting and media policy; and 2) Address gaps that are constraining the First Nations broadcasting and media sector from fully achieving its potential. IRCA is currently finalising the detailed policy statement and positions, following review by the IRCA Board, for release in the near future.

INDIGIMOB DIGITAL MENTOR WORKSHOP

A workshop for inDigiMOB Mentors was held in April, bringing the mentors and Digital Access Workers from Yuendumu and the Alice Springs town camps together to share their experiences and learn new skills. It was a fun and engaging couple of days with many people even getting to fly a drone for the first time!

Many thanks go to the Digital Mentors and our partners, PAW Media and Tangentyere Council, for their participation and for making the event such a success.

inDigiMOB is now looking forward to the next Digital Mentor workshop which will be held in Darwin on the two days preceding the Broadband for the Bush Forum. http://broadbandforthebush.com.au/

SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT (SROI) STUDY

The Social Return on Investment (SROI) study of First Nations media organisations undertaken by Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has come up with an average return of 2.87:1. This means that for every $1 of investment in these organisations by government and other sources, there is $2.87 worth of community benefit. This is an excellent outcome, similar to the social return of the Ranger programs.

The study found that our organisations deliver a range of services and benefits in their communities beyond community broadcasting, including language and cultural programs, employment, training, video production, music development, festival and events, technical and IT services, archiving, building community cohesion and cultural safety, other services and support.

14 INDIGENOUS RADIO STATION UPGRADES

Imparja Television have completed installation and commissioning on behalf of 14 Indigenous radio services located throughout Australia, with Zip One Codecs to provide service on the vast satellite platform via a new radio aggregation rack located at the lmparja studio in Alice Springs. This will improve the quality and reliability of these crucial radio services for audiences spread across much of remote Australia. The Community Broadcasting Foundation funded seven sets of Zip One Codecs.