The Aboriginal media ecology in NSW: Developing strategies for change

Aboriginal media organisations play a critical role in encouraging celebration and thriving of Aboriginal people and communities through their strengths-based messaging, promotion of Aboriginal languages, and localised communications developed with and for community. 

This report builds on earlier completed research into the state of the Aboriginal media sector across NSW to address an information shortfall around Aboriginal audience media engagement, the value-adding role of Aboriginal media organisations, and how government can strengthen the sector. 

The report outlines practical steps forward for how government can connect and listen directly to Aboriginal media organisations and professionals to enable empowering Aboriginal-led messaging tailored to diverse Aboriginal audience needs and contexts. 

Key findings include the need for:

• a ‘dedicated, reliable and stable’ funding model that promotes convergence and digital inclusion
• building on successful organisations through a ‘hub and spoke’ model and direct government contracting of Aboriginal media experts to strengthen the Aboriginal media sector
• developing a national strategy to collect Aboriginal digital inclusion data

The study was undertaken in partnership with the Centre for Advancement of Indigenous Knowledges, University of Technology Sydney who co-designed this research with First Nations Media Australia.