• Charles Sturt academic said additional funding for regional media is welcome, but at whose expense, and is this in the interest of Australian audiences?
• While support for every industry suffering in these challenging COVID-19 times is warranted, not everyone feels they are sharing in the relief funding ‘pie’
• There is no extra support for the trusted public broadcasters the ABC and SBS in the face of huge budget cuts over recent years despite critical support during national emergencies, such as the recent bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic

The federal government’s Australian media COVID-19 relief package announced on Wednesday 15 April does not ensure Australian content, nor support the arts or public broadcasters, according to a Charles Sturt University journalism academic.

The federal government announced funding and tax breaks for Australian media businesses, including:

• $13.4 million of new funding among an announced $50 million Public Interest News Gathering program for commercial television, newspaper and radio businesses in regional Australia, three-quarters of which is rebadged from another program.
• Emergency suspension of local content quotas in 2020
• A 12-month waiver of spectrum tax for commercial television and radio broadcasters worth $41 million.

Senior Lecturer in journalism in the Charles Sturt School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst Mr Jock Cheetham said while corporate media, including Nine Entertainment (the TV, newspaper and online media company) welcomed these moves, they won’t have to produce as much local TV content.

“They can find cheaper content internationally, but is this in the interest of Australian viewers?” Mr Cheetham said.

The Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, The Hon. Paul Fletcher, MP, labelled this change ‘Short-Term Red Tape Relief’.

“This language feeds into a narrative that denigrates regulation, where ‘red tape’ is a pejorative phrase evoking images of an overburdened victim bound up in said material, unable to act freely,” Mr Cheetham said.

“Moves have already begun to try to roll back ‘red tape’ elsewhere, with big business lobby groups pushing for a freeze on class actions and other scrutiny and accountability measures.

“So the question arises, who benefits from the changes?

“Dropping local content quotas provides the opportunity for greater profits for corporate TV via lower costs, although at the moment that might be lower losses rather than higher profits.

“But at whose expense? It seems we need to repeat this debate about local content regulation every generation.

“Local content quotas help support the local industry, arts, and culture, and associated production sectors.

“This is the very sector that is perhaps most affected by the economic downturn and quite possibly the least compensated or supported by the safety nets cast out to various industries in recent weeks.

“Not enough is being done for out-of-work actors, musicians, entertainers and various support staff and businesses in that neglected sector.

“This is not just about arts and culture jobs, but about Australians hearing our own voices, talking about ourselves, rather than be 100 per cent swamped by global corporate media content and overseas culture, particularly American.

“We need to keep a close eye on the announced plan to speedily review this area of regulation.

“While additional funding for regional media is most welcome, as is support for every industry suffering in these challenging times, not everyone feels they are sharing the pie.

“Radio doesn’t see enough in it for them, with the commercial radio peak body calling it inadequate. Others such as Prime Media Group saw the real financial benefits, but could not see into the future to be sure that it was enough.

​ “A final point to make in the face of this extra spending is that there is no extra support for the public broadcasters, the trusted ABC and SBS, in the face of huge budget cuts over recent years.”