Community radio in Australia is under threat after the Abbott government Commission of Audit last week recommended that all federal funding for Community Broadcasting be abolished.
If the recommendations are accepted in the Federal Budget next Tuesday, community radio Australia’s across the country will be at risk of closure.
Community radio is the backbone of local culture in Australian regions, offering a voice to indigenous Australians, ethnic communities, the print and vision impaired, young people, seniors and local artists.
Community radio is an essential service in Australian society and is now at risk because of recommended government cutbacks.
The Abbott government will hand down the Federal Budget next Tuesday, May 13.
Guidelines for supporting Community Radio before the Budget
1. Go to committocommunityradio.org.au to email the Treasurer Joe Hockey.
Email the Treasurer and call on him to make sure that cuts to community
broadcasting funding aren’t included in the Federal Budget.
The more emails that are sent to the Treasurer (emails will also be copied to the
Communications and Finance Ministers too), the greater chance we have of ensuring
community broadcasting stays safe in the budget.
It’s simple to take action – all you need to do is go
to committocommunityradio.org.au, click on the link to email the Treasurer, and
enter their details.
2. Forward this link on to your contacts.
3. Show your support for community broadcasting in your email signature
See the attached assets or go to the Resources page on the Commit to Community
radio website, download the new email signature and add it to your emails. The more
people who see/hear about the campaign, the better chance we have of keeping our
community broadcasters on air.
4. Get active on social media
The Commit to Community Radio Facebook page will be posting share graphics and
other bits of information over the coming days. Stay tuned help spread the word by
sharing posts.
While modest, Federal Government policy and funding support is crucial to the sector’s ongoing operation and development for all community stations.
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