The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment to bolster public interest journalism with $15 million in urgent funding for regional and community news.
The News Media Relief Program (NMRP), which opens this month, 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.
Member for Blair Shayne Neumann said continued support for the sector through the new program would help to strengthen the health and diversity of our media sector.
“We are fortunate in Ipswich and the Somerset area to have a number of local and community news outlets and I urge people to support them by picking up their local newspaper and tuning in to local radio,” Mr Neumann said.
“These outlets are 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.”
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.
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 the News Media Relief Program can be found at www.grants.gov.au
For more information on News MAP visit www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications-arts/news-map.
