Keeping Australian communities informed

The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment to bolster public interest journalism with $15 million in urgent funding for regional and community news.  
 
Opening in November, the News Media Relief Program (NMRP) will provide grants to eligible regional, independent suburban, multicultural and First Nations news publishers creating news content.

The news content must be distributed online, but can also be distributed in other formats.
 
The program will deliver critical support to a sector struggling to survive in the face of changing readership habits, increasing costs and declining advertising revenue.
 
With local and community news outlets playing a vital role in keeping Australians up to date about the matters and events that impact them – enabling them to make informed decisions and contributing to social cohesion. The program will help to strengthen the health and diversity of our media sector.
 
Grants will be open to regional or suburban publishers with an annual revenue under $30 million, or which predominantly serve First Nations and multicultural communities, with the primary purpose of publishing core news content.
 
It will help these news organisations to keep their doors open and audiences informed.
 
The NMRP forms part of the Government’s broader efforts to safeguard Australia’s media diversity and promote public interest journalism, through the News Media Assistance Program (News MAP).
 
Earlier this year, the Government completed consultation on News MAP which will provide a principles-based policy framework, informed by robust evidence, for future interventions to inform next steps on measures to ensure the news sector remains robust and strong, and continues to serve communities across Australia.
 
Details on this forecast opportunity can be found at: GrantConnect
 
For more information on News MAP visit: News Media Assistance Program (News MAP) | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
 
Quotes attributable to Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:
 
“Local and community news outlets play a huge role in supporting a diverse and inclusive news media sector that is so vital to the healthy functioning of Australian society and democracy.
 
"We want to see more local journalists and publishers reporting on the issues that matter to their communities.
  
“This funding will provide the urgent assistance local news outlets need as we continue our work on News MAP – an ongoing program that will enable us to deliver effective support to the Australian news sector into the future.”