Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to follow the member for Goldstein on this important motion and I commend him for bringing it to this place. I also acknowledge the member for Higgins, who is in this place today, who will be supporting the motion, and the member for Eden-Monaro, who is also here, who has been a longstanding and true friend of the Australian Jewish community.

Community radio is not just a place for journalists to find and craft their skills; it is also a place for politicians as well. The very first radio interview I did was way back in 2014 when I was a candidate in the state election for the Australian Labor Party—the mighty Australian Labor Party—and I was taking on the member for Caulfield, Mr David Southwick. It was a very safe Liberal seat back then. It's much less safe now. I went on Mates at 8, believe it or not, with my good friends Daniel and Ariel. That was my first radio interview. That was on J-AIR in the very first year it began.

J-AIR is a wonderful, local community radio station. It is a place where ideas are spoken about, not just in relation to the Jewish community but also the wider community and our local community. We have a huge Jewish community in Macnamara, but they are also spread across Melbourne and the country, which is why it is nice to see so many of my follow parliamentarians supporting this motion.

Today I'm a frequent guest on J-AIR. I especially acknowledge Talking to the Max, with my good friend Gary Max, on a Wednesday morning. He puts me through my paces on a Wednesday morning on all of the local politics of the day. Then, of course, there's my old friend Hanna Baum. She does TheBaum Interviewsandbroadcasts them on Thursday mornings. I believe they are re-run on Sunday night, so if you miss them you can catch them again on Sundays.

J-AIR is a wonderful story that began in 2014. It has been broadcasting on 87.8. Robert Bontschek helped found it, along with many volunteers. I also want to acknowledge Sean Meltzer, who was crucial in the early days of setting it up. It used to be broadcast on top of a factory in Oakley before it moved to its current home in Caulfield, in conjunction with a low-power open narrowcasting frequency over the top of Glen Eira council. But, as the member for Goldstein touched on, the current arrangement is being negotiated through a company called Trycycle Pty Ltd. At 87.8, J-AIR is currently on a month-by-month contract. What that means is that Trycycle is looking to consolidate all of the 87.8 frequencies that are on the low-power open narrowcasting—that is, all the localised different versions of 87.8. Obviously at the moment, on a month-by-month contract, it is very difficult for J-AIR to plan, to go to sponsors, to go to a range of other community organisations, many of whom, as the member for Goldstein pointed out—but of course there is the generosity of a lot of the philanthropists and people who sponsor our community organisations, who do an amazing job. It is difficult to plan for the future when you're only on a month-by-month contract. It can be your last month of broadcasting. For an organisation like J-AIR that is particularly difficult. I would hope they can be afforded a more permanent home by ACMA.

Finally, one of the reasons why J-AIR is so important is because it's not just the permanent shows that people go on, some of whom I agree with, some of whom I have strong editorial differences with—as the old saying goes, if you have two Jewish people, you have three opinions!—but also because they cover a lot of the community events locally. Coming up we have the In One Voice festival in a couple of weeks, which is the largest Jewish cultural and arts festival in Elsternwick. J-AIR will be there. I support this motion. I support J-AIR getting a permanent home, and I support the member for Goldstein in his efforts to bring J-AIR closer to a permanent home.

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