Help protect community broadcasting

One of proposals of the Prime Minister's National Commission of Audit will reduce funding for Community radio, which in the ACT includes 2XX, CMS, Artsound and 1RPH.

As pointed out in the May Update of the ACT Bilingual Education Alliance (see previous post), broadcasts in other languages on community radio can help promote language maintenance and language learning in Australia. Ethnic and multicultural broadcasters also play a major role in Australia by linking new migrants and established communities with each other, their cultures, and the nation, as well as providing information about government services and events.

Community broadcasting acts as a ‘third sector’ media and is extremely cost effective. The small financial support from the federal government helps sustain the sector; reducing this support would have disastrous effects.

To show your support for community radio, you can

• sign the petition on the website of Gai Brodmann MP, member for Canberra, at http://www.gaibrodtmann.com.au/protect_community_broadcasting 
• visit the  community broadcasting's hub for the campaign on this issue at http://committocommunityradio.org.au and send an email to Mr Hockey via the link provided.
•  pass on this message to your colleagues and networks