TREVOR TIM, HOST: I’m going to have a yarn now with the Honourable Anika Wells MP and Minister for Communications and Sport. As we say, kick it to me, kick it to me. And a very good morning, Anika, how are you?

MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND SPORT ANIKA WELLS: So great to be with you and here if you need, Trendy Trev.

TIM: Thank you. Thank you very much for coming to the program. Look, great to be yarning with you. First of all, Anika Wells – who's Anika Wells? Give us a bit of background.

MINISTER WELLS: Well, I'm from Brisbane, so a proud Queenslander, and I've been in the Federal Parliament for a couple of terms now, representing the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane. At the moment I get to be the Minister for Communications and the Minister for Sport, so that means that I get to travel around the country and make sure that everybody has the kind of access to connectivity that they need to do anything and everything that they want to do.

TIM: Thank you. As I was saying, we are in the 21st century, 2026. So I believe you're heading up to Pormpuraaw to talk about Wi-Fi connection there. And a big shout out to NBN, who's at the table regarding partnership. So fitting in the 21st century, and we all need to be connected.

MINISTER WELLS: That's right, Trendy Trev. We are headed to Pormpuraaw because they're one of the sites of our $40 million Community Wi-Fi Program. They were one of the first cabs off the rank. We’ve got more than 70 now but seven in Queensland, and we want to just check in on how it's going, what else we need to do to improve because like you say, it's a first-world country and everybody should have access to Wi-Fi, and we're rolling it out bit by bit. I hear that in Pormpuraaw last year for NAIDOC Week, they had better access, better inclusivity, better participation because of Community Wi-Fi.

TIM: Yes.

MINISTER WELLS: But let's take the NBN with us, let's kick the tyres, let's see how it's going.

TIM: And look, we are talking about a tool of the 21st century, we are in the information age. But when you look at such a powerful tool, then we’re talking about employment, we're talking about education, we're talking about entertainment – all the above. So it's a powerful tool, and it should be in the hands of our people in community or remotely, black and white.

MINISTER WELLS: One hundred per cent. It's what I'm charged with under Closing the Gap, digital inclusivity, making sure that everybody- no one left behind, the Prime Minister likes to say. And with advancing tech, like satellites, more and more getting up into the sky, it gives us the ability to get more and more people connected and then that gives them the opportunity to do what they want, and not just what they need with internet.

TIM: So true, So we're also talking- well, like I said, the 21st century, AI. Or is it SI, as Trump would say.

MINISTER WELLS: I think we’re saying AI.

TIM: We're saying AI. We're sticking with AI. So, I mean, that's another tool that's at the table, which we're all trying to get our head around it and learn how to police that. That is a powerful tool, but we need to adapt and change with the times or, Anika, we get left behind.

MINISTER WELLS: We do. Australia has some very set goals here. We want to harness the opportunities of AI. We want to make sure that those benefits though are shared, that they don't just go to the select few, that every Australian participates in the benefits that AI can bring us. And then then as the Minister for Communications, my job is more online safety, so keeping Australians safe and making sure that AI plays a helpful and contributive role to our communities and not something that ultimately is another source of harm for our kids.

TIM: Yes. So true, so true. And here we are talking on Murri radio station, First Nation radio station. Thank you and your portfolio and the work that you guys do to have us be in this space. It is a voice for our people. I myself have been doing this program for about 15-odd years, and we have deadly yarns across the big island of Australia in our national program. Big shout out to NIRS, the National Indigenous Radio Service. So thank you for the work that you do and have this portfolio so we can have our yarns. A lot of stories and a lot of yarns that we have on First Nation radio stations is not on mainstream radio. So it's very important to us as a First Nation people but it is communication at its highest. So thank you for that.

MINISTER WELLS: And you guys, like, I'm in rarefied air being here with you guys. You have such a good reputation, you walk past an absolute swag of trophies and awards coming into the studio. It’s very impressive. And you play such an important role here, in FNQ, which is, as a Queenslander, such a cherished part of our state and our community. And I know the job's not done. Some towns like Canberra or Adelaide or Hobart don't even have a First Nations radio station yet, so we've got more work to do, but you guys really set a standard.

TIM: Yes, thank you so very much. And like I said, the communication there, and as you met some of our younger staff as well coming through, I'm getting ready to hand the reins over, so to speak, but it sets a strong foundation for their future and for the future of First Nations media and communication.

MINISTER WELLS: It is. Telling local stories, you guys do it and we need a diverse range of voices when, as you've probably heard overnight, more and more media franchises being bought up by the same people. And we need independent local stories being told by good honourable local people, and that's what you guys do.

TIM: So true, so true. So many times, been up here to Cairns?

MINISTER WELLS: Yep.

TIM: Tell us a little bit about your connection with Cairns.

MINISTER WELLS: My connection with Cairns, I have some friends who are up here, so I hope I get to, I don't know, pass them on the boardwalk for a run tomorrow morning. It's a pretty jam-packed itinerary we're on. And then I've been here a few times in different jobs over the years. I was a lawyer before I got elected.

TIM: Okay, there you go. Lawyer, there it is. So in regards to Queenslander, what about the Lions? Three repeat.

MINISTER WELLS: They've made us so very happy. They've made us so very, very happy. And the women have been- they've given us a lot of trophies for the cabinet as well, the Lions Women. So their season is still playing out.

TIM: [Interrupts] We won't talk Broncos, we won't talk Titans, we won't talk Dolphins.

MINISTER WELLS: No, no and we probably won't talk Origin this year either.

TIM: Yeah, thank you. That's right, change the subject. We're talking communication. To our daily listeners that have just tuned in, Trendy Trev here, Murri from da Curry, with your daily program, National TalkBlack, and having a beautiful yarn with the Minister for Communications and Sports, and that's Anika Wells. And it’s very exciting to have you here. Thank you for your yarn and your communication. And we are driving this vehicle into the future and we are setting up pathways and communication for our young ones. And we have daily yarns across the nation. We just two weeks ago had the annual First Nation Media Australia conference up here, and the CEO there is Wally Tallis, big shout out to Wally Tallis, Gorden Tallis' brother. He's a Queenslander, both of them are, but it was good to have that conversation. And then having all those people up here for [indistinct] SBS and NITV – that's print as well as radio, and it was a great, Converge, we called the conference, about 200 delegates. Look, it is so important to have this space, so we thank you very much. And good yarning with you and enjoy your time up here, enjoy your journey up there, and let's get people connected in Cape York and remote communities.

MINISTER WELLS: Yeah, can't wait to get to the Cape, and thank you for everything you do to connect everybody up here.

TIM: You take care. All the best to you, and big shout out to your deadly team, we would say.

MINISTER WELLS: Oh, thanks so much.

TIM: Take care. A beautiful yarn there with Minister for Communications and Sport, Anika Wells, and great to have her here. And she's on her way up to Pormpuraaw. You mob out there, be ready for it, we’re going to connect you, mob and that’s what it’s all about.