Media Reconciliation Industry Network Group

16 November 2009

In an industry first, media organisations have teamed up with producers and funding and training bodies to form the Media Reconciliation Industry Network Group (RING), a collective which aims to drive practical measures to support and promote reconciliation in the media sector.

Members include the ABC, AFTRS, ASTRA, Aurora Community Channel, Austar, Australian News Channel (SKY NEWS), BBC Worldwide Channels Australasia, Film Victoria, FOXTEL, Gadigal Information Service Aboriginal Corporation, NITV, Metro Screen, NFSA, Premier Media Group, Reconciliation Australia, SBS, Screen Australia, Screen NSW, ScreenWest, SPAA, The City of Sydney and XYZ Networks.

Following almost a year of collaboration, a number of initiatives are underway including Indigenous cadetships, job opportunities and the creation of Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) for individual organisations.

FOXTEL has created a traineeship program in its Broadcast Operations area and is building grassroots awareness of broadcasting career opportunities in select schools. In partnership with Premier Media Group, FOXTEL is working to place a trainee in their Melbourne Studio Operation from January 2010.

SBS recently awarded its inaugural Indigenous Television Mentorship Award which will support Eileen Nganayamea Torres, an up and coming Indigenous producer, to attend influential national and international content markets with SBS mentorship and support.

SPAA has dedicated three places in its Emerging Producers Scheme at the SPAA Conference to Indigenous producers. SPAA will also host a briefing session for Indigenous filmmakers on how best to pitch and take advantage of business and networking opportunities at the SPAA Conference and SPAA Fringe.

Australian News Channel (SKY NEWS) supports reconciliation on a range of fronts including coverage of Indigenous issues on the A-PAC public affairs channel; regular coverage of Indigenous affairs in SKY NEWS political programming and assistance with the production of NITV’s nightly national news service.

“The Media RING is about harnessing the ample goodwill, knowledge and experience in the media industry and turning that into practical measures that can deliver real outcomes for Indigenous Australians,” BBC Worldwide Channels Australasia General Manager, Tony Iffland said.

“The benefit of the Media RING is that we are more powerful as a collective than we could ever be as single organisations. We aim to lead the way for the rest of the media industry and set an example of how we can promote reconciliation in Australia.”

All of this work is supported by Reconciliation Australia.

“Reconciliation Australia created the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Program as a way for organisations both large and small to use their sphere of influence to turn good intentions into actions that close the gaps between Indigenous and other Australians,” Paul O’Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer of Reconciliation Australia said.

“The Media RING has taken that a step further by enlarging their sphere and initiating the collective – the only reconciliation industry based group of its kind. The good work being undertaken by the Media RING touches not only those within the media sector, but as a communications industry, has the potential to reach out to much wider Australian audiences.”

A Media RING website-was recently created by Carbon Media to assist the collaborative work of the industry group. The Media RING will also advertise media jobs on the newly launched Indigenous Jobs Australia website.

FOXTEL has helped coordinate the group since inception and Screen NSW will take over the role of Secretariat to the members in 2010,

For more information on the Media RING and its activities contact Sandra Stockley from Screen NSW at [email protected].