Managing Director’s address at SBS: Meet the Broadcaster, Sydney event
James Taylor
Managing Director, SBS
Address at SBS: Meet the Broadcaster, Sydney event
Wednesday 18 August 2019
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Good evening everyone and thank you all for coming.
I’d like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners and pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
It’s wonderful to see an audience of distinguished guests from the government, community and creative sectors. It’s also great to have a number of SBS Board members here – Chairman Dr Hass Dellal, Deputy Chair George Savvides and Board member Bill Lenehan.
The point of tonight is to not only share information about SBS with you, and just as importantly, to hear your ideas and feedback.
As we’ve been moving right around the country with this presentation I can assure you other audiences have taken the opportunity to provide feedback and ask direct questions, so Sydney, I encourage you to do so as well later in the evening.
Our differences are at the heart of who we are, and when we champion these differences we all benefit.
SBS has been doing this for more than 40 years, inspiring Australians to understand each other better, and respect each other more.
Guided by our unique Charter, we tell stories with a clear point of difference – stories that make a positive contribution to a more united Australia.
93 per cent of our audiences tell us that they come to us for programming they can’t find anywhere else.
We have always believed that an inclusive society – one in which we all belong, are all able to contribute, and that doesn’t leave anyone behind – is a good thing.
It’s a good thing because it feels good – it also makes good economic sense.
This morning we announced the findings of a report we commissioned from Deloitte Access
Economics which concludes that better social inclusion can boost the Australian economy by 12.7 billion dollars annually.
Improving social inclusion means affording all people the best opportunity to enjoy life and prosper.
Now Australia has a well-earned reputation as an inclusive multicultural society but we can do better, and if we can emulate countries that do better than us we all benefit.
By this we mean better inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We mean the almost seven million migrants from 270 ancestries who have migrated to Australia since 1945. We mean the 50,000 households that have same sex couples, and the one in five
Australians who have a disability. We mean more women in senior leadership roles.
Greater inclusion not only avoids the costs incurred when people are excluded, it harnesses our diversity, providing fuel for innovation in our economy.
Creativity, tenacity, vision and leadership are critical drivers of innovation and unsurprisingly these are not characteristics unique to any one community. They are not determined by where you were born, your family ancestry, the language you speak, your gender, sexual orientation or faith.
But these characteristics are unfortunately still used to exclude people. The more we embrace difference – in our teams, workplaces, and in our community – the greater the economic dividends for all. And not just those achieving inclusion.
These dividends are driven by improved employment and health outcomes, increased workplace productivity, and reduced costs of social and health services.
As Australia becomes increasingly diverse, the importance of fostering social inclusion grows. And it makes SBS’s role more vital today than ever before.
As many of you in this room know better than I, storytelling is a powerful vehicle to make people feel included, connected and empowered.
That’s why we invest as much as possible into Australian storytelling, and are committed to ensuring all Australians see themselves represented.
We are proudly one of Australia’s most trusted media organisations. The trust we enjoy drives our distinctive storytelling and our esteemed news and current affairs reporting.
Our globally unrivalled language radio services have always been at the core of our offering and continue to evolve.
Today we offer services in 68 languages across radio and digital platforms, and these are vital for new migrants as they navigate daily life and seek a sense of belonging here. Vital too are they for established Australians looking to engage with stories impacting their communities.
As we navigate the changing face of modern Australia, the shifting needs of audiences, and a rapidly evolving media sector, we will continue to contribute to Australia’s success as an inclusive society.
Every one of you here tonight is important in enabling us to do that.
I’d like to thank you for your continued support and engagement with SBS and I hope you enjoy the evening ahead.
ENDS