Speech - Media Diversity Australia

Acknowledgement and Voice

Let me begin by acknowledging the Cammeraygal People - the traditional owners of the lands we meet.

I pay respect to Elders past and present and to First Nations people here.

I would like to acknowledge the important voice of First Nations’ media outlets and our national broadcasters: the ABC and here at the SBS – the home of NITV.

Introduction

Thank you for having me to speak at the Media Diversity Australia roundtable.

I think it’s telling that so many captains of Australia’s media are here, and I think their very presence highlights the importance of this topic. The fact they have made time to participate in this, is some indication of the importance that all media in Australia places on this issue.

Mariam, your organisation is working hard to create a media landscape that looks, and sounds, more like Australia.

This really resonates with me as Communications Minister but also the Albanese Government as a whole.

We understand the critical importance of a free and sustainable media landscape; one that reflects the rich diversity of our nation.

So what I thought I’d do is outline how our media reform agenda is promoting this.

Today, Australia is as culturally diverse as it has ever been.

Almost half of us, including myself, have at least one parent born overseas and one-third of us were born overseas. A quarter of us speak a language other than English at home, including my husband’s family.

Richness of ethnicity and religion, of people with diverse abilities, gender identity and background. And the richness of culture and tradition that date back 65,000 years.

So, the question is: Who is getting to tell these Australian stories?

Joint research by the University of Canberra and SBS shows that people who feel represented in the media are more likely to feel a sense of belonging.

This pioneering research, which focused on belonging among diverse multilingual audiences, reveals the connection between representation in news media and social belonging, which is important to a cohesive society.

Earlier Deloitte research for SBS quantified the economic dividend from raising the level of social inclusion in Australia, whether that be in media or other sectors.

Taken together, the social and economic benefits of inclusion are real, which is why practical action is so important.

Yet many multilingual audiences continue to feel under, or misrepresented, in Australian news.

We all need to see ourselves reflected in the media, on screen and in books.

Reflected in parliament, government, business, academia and sports. Across all facets of our modern society.

Driving diversity

So I’m really proud to be part of what is the most diverse government in Australia’s history. We have a record number of women in Cabinet and the ministry, from various backgrounds.

We’re making strides, but we need to go further.

We must continue, as media and governments, to champion this change.

Media reform agenda

The Albanese Government wants every Australian, regardless of their postcode, background or circumstances, to be connected, informed and empowered. That is my mission as Minister.

And we want to ensure that a diversity of voices are heard. This goes to the heart of the media reform and digital inclusion agenda that I am leading.

Media diversity is an enduring objective of the Australian regulatory framework.

Existing rules seek to encourage the production and distribution of a wide range of viewpoints across the media market, so that Australians have access to a range of relevant news and information and no one voice dominates. 

But traditional measures of media diversity, based on rules in the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, are outdated and they don’t account for digital news services, for example.

For this reason, earlier this year, the ACMA consulted on an alternative ‘news measurement framework’ for diversity and localism, building on its December 2020 research paper. I look forward to their advice and the outputs of this process.

Likewise, the digital era presents new challenges for media diversity. As content and services proliferate, it is essential that we promote local content and local content industries in a global media environment.

The Albanese Government has committed to legislating a prominence framework so that our local TV services are accessible on connected TV devices, and we are committed to legislating an Australian content obligation on streaming services. We are progressing these reforms as a priority this year.

Increasingly media diversity is discussed in terms of the diversity of personnel who produce the media, and this is the lens through which media diversity will be considered, as I understand, at the roundtable today.

Research by Media Diversity Australia highlights a lack of cultural and linguistic diversity in our media.

A two-week snapshot of news, current affairs and breakfast TV that was taken in 2022 – showed that the overwhelming majority of presenters and reporters were of Anglo-Celtic background, up slightly from 2019.

Those from European backgrounds comprised 10 per cent, while those from non-European backgrounds remain under-represented at just 6 per cent.

First Nations presenters made up around 5 per cent, up from just 1 per cent in 2019.

Gender diversity in the media is also lacking.

The not-for-profit organisation Women in Media looks at the visibility of women as authors, participants and subjects of news in Australia.

Its 2023 Gender Scorecard shows women remain under-represented in media coverage, including as sources and as experts.

While efforts by media organisations to achieve gender-parity are yielding positive results, it is still estimated that it will take more than a decade to achieve gender parity.

I want to acknowledge Women in Media’s Relaunch project – run together with Google News – which is upskilling women to return to the media workforce.

Also, the work of Future Women, to support women in their careers, including by training the men they work with and guiding the employers they work for, to achieve gender equality in Australian workplaces.

And MDA’s Women Of Colour Mentorships program launching mid-career journalists, from diverse backgrounds, into leadership positions.

Advancing gender equality is a national priority and the Albanese Government is taking action on issues such as paid parental leave, childcare, secure jobs and better pay.

We are developing a National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality to make Australia one of the best countries in the world for a gender-equal society.

And for our part, the Government has provided $5 million for a program to empower more women into politics, particularly from under-represented communities.

Supporting our multicultural broadcasters

Our public broadcasters must ensure a diversity of voices are shared.

We have restored funding and funding certainty to the ABC and SBS to ensure they can reach and represent even more diverse audiences.

The SBS is a jewel in our multicultural crown and averages ten-million viewers every month.

It produces news and broadcasts news in multiple languages and, during the pandemic, it delivered critical health updates in more than 60 languages, including AUSLAN.

The SBS Inclusion Program provides online training to organisations looking to build a strong approach to diversity and inclusion.

The program’s dedicated courses cover cultural diversity, gender equity, and disability awareness - to name a few.

These valuable resources are helping media organisations across Australia to build more diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Of course, improving the diversity of newsrooms is not simply about recruiting more people of diverse backgrounds.

Without equal pay, culturally safe practices and diverse editorial input, we will not develop and retain the talent we need to be able to tell the stories of our communities.

Here I want to acknowledge the work of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, whose members are at the forefront of calling for diversity and inclusion plans, race pay gap audits and cultural safety across industry – and who are putting First Nations first, led by their Indigenous Committee ICMEAA.

Community radio is doing much heavy lifting, broadcasting in more than 100 languages.

More than 1.4 million listeners from non-English speaking backgrounds tune-in to community radio every week.

We have boosted this sector’s funding to around $20 million a year, which will further enhance their diverse service offerings, including for people with print and visual disabilities.

To this end, I also welcome the ABC’s move to have more people with disabilities share their stories, as well as this week’s momentous launch of Audio Description on ABC iView, making thousands of hours of programming more accessible to Australians with blindness or vision impairment.

When we talk about diversity and inclusion, we are talking about every story.

This is an important driver of our new national cultural policy: Revive - a place for every story, a story for every place.

The policy includes $5 million to better support people with disability to access and participate in cultural life and $4 million for art and music therapy programs.

The Australian Film Television and Radio School is also working to increase participation in our screen industry. Its Bus Stop Films program engages people with disabilities to work on productions with leading companies.

And Screen Australia’s Gender Matters is ensuring that government-funded projects include at least 50 per cent of women in key creative roles.

These are the concrete, practical types of measures that are promoting diversity and inclusivity in the media.

A changing media environment

Of course, we all know it’s a changing media environment.

We’ve seen major shifts in the media industry.

There’s smart phones, hyper-connectivity and social media itself, transforming the way news media is made, distributed and consumed.

Digital disruption, declining revenues and skills shortages have forced many newsrooms around the country to contract or close.

Many more are at risk, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas.

That’s is why we have provided more than 200 news publishers a lifeline through our $15 million Regional and Local Newspaper Publishing Program, including multicultural news publishers.

We have funded regional news outlets – across every state and territory – to hire cadets through the Journalist Fund, including dedicated funding for First Nations’ publishers.

We are supporting 26 First Nations radio stations, a national news service to provide content to them, and seven Remote Indigenous Media Organisations.

As well as the Local and Independent News Association which supports digital, hyper-local and independent news publishers.

As part of the Budget, I announced a further $5 million to support Australian Associated Press. This will enable AAP to continue to provide independent, fact-based newswire services to around 450 publications this year.

These sorts of immediate measures are directed at helping sustain a diverse and independent media landscape, that’s vital for our democracy.

But to ensure long-term viability, we need to better understand the state of public-interest journalism and how the sector is evolving.

We are funding the Public Interest Journalism Initiative to map and track the health of news services around Australia.

This will feed into the News Media Assistance Program – the News MAP – which is being developed to guide future, targeted and evidence-based interventions to support the sustainability of the sector. I look forward to consulting with industry and the wider community on this important work later this year.

Promoting public-interest journalism

Democracy is protected when public institutions are strong, transparent and held to account by a free media.

Public-interest journalism is critical because it exposes corruption, injustice and helps to counter harmful misinformation and disinformation.

The Walkley Awards celebrate creative and courageous reporting that seeks out the truth and gives insight to the issues that impact the nation.

In 2019, The Walkley’s introduced the Media Diversity Australia Award for outstanding coverage of diverse people, groups and issues.

It recognises the significance of providing nuanced reporting that challenges harmful stereotypes and combats dangerous misinformation.

The 2023 award went to journalists Hagar Cohen and Raveen Hunjan for their report on the ABC’s 7.30, titled: ‘Racism allegations lead to staff exodus.’

The pair investigated allegations of workplace racism at NSW Legal Aid and why more than 20 culturally-diverse staff departed.

Legal Aid NSW subsequently acknowledged discrimination, apologised and outlined steps to promote a safe and culturally inclusive workplace.

A more respectful and inclusive online space

We are privileged to live in a society that values public-interest journalism, freedom of expression and the contest of ideas.

But we absolutely draw the line at speech that can cause serious harm, including cyber-abuse, racism and vilification.

In May, one of our most prominent First Nations journalists, Stan Grant, stood down from ABC’s Q+A.

No one should be threatened or racially abused. We all deserve to connect online in environments that are safe, inclusive and free from harm.

I note that one of my other agencies, the eSafety Commissioner has developed online safety tools and guidelines to help journalists manage social media abuse.

I am committed to bringing forward the statutory review the Online Safety Act and legislating to ensure the ACMA can hold digital platforms to account.

Media literacy skills and digital inclusion

Everyone should have the skills to navigate the digital world safely, critically and with confidence.

We are delivering on our $6 million commitment to make the Alannah and Madeline Foundation media literacy tools freely available to all schools, not just those that can afford them.

I recently visited Footscray High School where I saw these tools in action. I was very impressed by the students who demonstrated a real grasp of the issues at play online.

In our hyper-connected world, digital inclusion is not a privilege but a necessity.

We must ensure everyone can take advantage of the digital economy with no-one being left behind.

The First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group is advising Government on how best to close the digital divide.

And we have set aside $2.5 million for a partnership between my Department and the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia (FECCA) to support media literacy in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.  

And I’ll have more to say on the outcomes of the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group very soon.

Conclusion

I appreciate your time and I want to say that our nation’s story is as rich and diverse as the people who call Australia home.

It has been built upon by generations of First Nations Australians but it’s also enriched by the cultures that our migrants share.

We’re shaped by language, community and history – our people and our stories are always our greatest asset – and we need to foster a media landscape that reflects this.

I look forward to working with organisations - like yours - to build a strong, sustainable, independent and diverse media landscape into the future.

A media landscape that looks, and sounds, like modern Australia.

Thank you.