Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Community radio is a wonderful Australian tradition, and I'm pleased to report that community radio is alive and strong in Chisholm. 3WBC 94.1 FM is one of more than 400 licensed community radio stations throughout Australia, and its history is deeply rooted in our local community. 3WBC is staffed entirely by wonderful, hardworking volunteers and is broadcast from its home in the Box Hill Town Hall in the heart of Chisholm, with approximately 20 per cent of the program dedicated to ethnic focused content, giving a great insight to 3WBC's ethic and purpose—to provide a voice to the people of Chisholm's vibrant and diverse community.

Community radio stations, such as 3WBC, play a unique role in delivering localised content relevant to Melbourne's wonderful eastern suburbs, communicating with people who may have otherwise been isolated from their local communities. I was pleased to join 3WBC in recent times as a guest of Iain Messer and Michael Crichton on their wonderfully informative and enriching programs. This World Radio Day I commend 3WBC on their ongoing dedication to enriching the air waves of Melbourne's east with wonderful stories of our community, great music and intelligent discussions of current affairs. 3WBC also plays a wonderful role in broadcasting the VFL games of the Box Hill Hawks, our wonderful Australian rules football team, and this year 3WBC is celebrating their 11th year providing expert commentary to those listening at home.

Sport and radio obviously go hand in hand in Chisholm as the number 1 ticket holders of the Box Hill Hawks. The Women's VFL team and none other than the wonderful presenters of The Outer Sanctum are, in their own words, changing the game on conventional AFL chat. Kate Seear, Nicole Hayes, Alicia Sometimes, Emma Race, Lucy Race and Felicity Race focus on stories and voices rarely heard in the AFL community. The Outer Sanctum, which started as a podcast, is now a weekly fixture during the AFLW season on ABC Grandstand, telling the inspiring stories of women in Australia's most loved sport and pastime Aussie rules football.

Wonderful stories, such as the history and work of 3WBC and the trailblazing work of the women of The Outer Sanctum, is why the Turnbull government recognises the importance of the community radio sector and why, last year, we dedicated $6.1 million in funding over two years for the community radio sector to support digital radio services and one-off spectrum reorganisation costs for analogue radio services. This funding is in addition to the $15 million per annum already provided through the community broadcasting program. We've ensured the sustainability of community radio stations, such as 3WCB, by allocating $2.2 million in funding throughout 2017 and 2018 to assist radio community broadcasters affected by the implementation—

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As I mentioned, I have been pleased to join 3WBC in recent times as a guest of Iain Messer on his wonderfully informative and enriching program. This World Radio Day, I commend 3WBC on their ongoing dedication to enriching the airwaves of Melbourne's east with wonderful stories of our community, great music and intelligent discussions.

Such wonderful stories, such as the history and work of 3WBC and the trailblazing work of the women of Outer Sanctum, are the reason why the Turnbull government recognise the importance of the community radio sector and why last year we dedicated $6.1 million in funding over two years for the community radio sector. We have ensured the sustainability of community radio stations such as 3WBC by allocating $2.2 million in funding throughout 2017-18 to assist community radio broadcasters affected by the implementation of the Australian Communication and Media Authority's long-term strategy for the 803-960 MHz band. The additional one-off investment supports the ongoing stability of some stations to ensure continued delivery of community radio services to their audiences. The government's investment in the community broadcasting sector allows the continued development of content, training for workers, transmission, infrastructure, online services and the broadcasting of Australian music.

I'm pleased to also acknowledge Mr Alexander Hehr OAM, who last year was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the broadcast media, particularly through community radio. Hardworking volunteers, like Alex at Golden Days Radio, and Michael Chrichton and Iain at 3WBC and the wonderful Outer Sanctum team, whose voices reach thousands of Chisholm locals and Melbourne residents, play an integral role in telling stories and binding our communities together. Community radio is here to stay, so I encourage everyone to tune in.

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