ABC features content for, by and about Australians living with disability
More than 50 Australians living with disability will have their stories seen and heard across the ABC to mark International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) tomorrow.
The ABC has once again partnered with the Department of Social Services (DSS) to recognise and celebrate the achievements of the 4.4 million Australians living with disability.
The partnership contributes to the placement of 50 short-term positions within the ABC for people with disability to host and co-host television and radio programs and to have their content featured across all ABC websites, radio, social media, television and ABC iview. Content highlights will feature across all ABC platforms to 10 December. The partnership also funds the ABC Regional Storyteller Scholarship, which provides work experience each year for two content makers with a lived experience of disability. The scholarship opens for 2022 applications tomorrow.
Outgoing Director of ABC NEWS and the Executive Sponsor of ABC Inclusive, Gaven Morris, said the ABC was leading the way in amplifying the voices of people with disability, so their experiences could be shared with all Australians.
“As a direct result of the work of the staff-led group, ABC Inclusive, and the funding made available by the DSS, the ABC is presenting our largest and most diverse range of content made for, by and about people with disability.”
Minister for Families and Social Services, Anne Ruston, said the partnership provided an opportunity for Australians with disability to have their unique voices heard, while inspiring others to pursue their dreams.
“Our aim with this program is to help break down barriers and allow content makers with disability to participate and thrive in their chosen pursuits,” Minister Ruston said.
Content highlights include curated collections on ABC iview and ABC listen; co-hosted programs on ABC Radio and ABC NEWS digital and video articles.
ReFrame , which showcases the diversity of disability, returns to ABC TV from 2.00pm tomorrow (Friday 3 December) and then on ABC iview and features the story of Angel Dixon, whose work centres around activism and research and not being defined by her disability. Producer, Meret Hassanan, said ReFrame had been a wonderful and rewarding opportunity to tell unique stories. “I hope that ReFrame shows audiences that disability is not one-size-fits-all,” she said.
Bloody great news for regional areas.
The regional broadcasters could never. Great work ABC!
As previously posted this is also thanks to Google and Facebook via the News Media Bargaining Code.
It good to see money going back into regional journalism especially what has happened to the regions when it comes to regional journalism over the past few years.
A fun proposal from the Victorian Libs… 
Do they even watch the ABC? How is this even a practical proposal?
ABC commissions drive Australian storytelling and boost the economy
The ABC’s screen commissions contributed $744 million to the Australian economy and supported more than 8000 roles over three years, bringing financial, social and cultural benefits to all states and territories, according to a new report.
The Deloitte Access Economics report, published today, finds that the ABC’s commissioned content is critical for the viability of the Australian production industry and workforce.
The report reveals that from 2017-18 to 2019-20, the ABC commissioned 433 screen productions that delivered more than 2500 hours of Australian content to viewers. Those productions contributed $744 million in total to the Australian economy and supported more than 8300 FTE roles across multiple sectors, building the capability, capacity and depth of the local screen production industry.
The report, commissioned by the ABC, finds that those screen productions also played a crucial catalysing role in supporting economic activity across the country, with every dollar spent by the ABC on external commissions generating $1.11 from other funding bodies.
The report covers screen content produced internally by the ABC or in partnership with the independent sector and includes the genres of arts, children’s, documentaries, drama, comedy, Indigenous and entertainment.
The Deloitte Access Economics report finds that ABC programs such as Mystery Road, Total Control, Rosehaven, Love on the Spectrum, Bluey and Back in Time for Dinner, also deliver social and cultural benefits for all Australians, including by contributing to a sense of national identity, promoting social inclusion and discovering and developing new Australian creative talent.
Click here for a copy of the full Deloitte Access Economics report.
ABC Commercial also launched the ABC Merch Store in late November, where some of the ABC’s most loved brands will come to life in a range of apparel, accessories and homewares.
In its launch phase, the new online store offers merchandise for 12 brands: ABC Classic, ABC Kids, Back Roads, Bananas in Pyjamas, Countdown, Gardening Australia, Giggle and Hoot, Landline, Play School, Story Salad, Rage, and The Wonder Gang. Fans can celebrate by grabbing a Play School rocket clock tee (in kids and adult sizing), a ‘Life’s Better with Music’ ABC Classic tote, a Landline cap or a ‘Future Farmer’ baby romper, and much more.
ABC Heywire winners celebrate stories of life across regional and rural Australia
ABC Heywire has announced the winners of its annual regional storytelling competition, which puts young Australians at the centre of the conversations that shape their communities.
Hundreds of Australians aged 16 to 22 from regional, rural and remote areas entered the competition by “telling it like it is” about life beyond our major cities, through written stories, photos, videos or audio recordings.
This year’s 38 ABC Heywire winners feature stories of courage, resilience and hope, including tales of escaping war in Afghanistan, keeping a local hockey club alive, caring for your community in the face of climate change and finding a language and treatment for mental illness.
The winners have worked with the ABC to produce their stories for radio and online, the results of which are available via the ABC Heywire website.
The 2022 ABC Heywire cohort include Friend, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who lives in Wodonga, on the Victoria-NSW border. “For me, being a Heywire winner feels absolutely incredible,” she said. “Telling my story to the world has always been my dream and Heywire gave me that chance.”
Judith Whelan, ABC Director Regional & Local, congratulated this year’s competition winners on their engaging and authentic stories. “We are seeing once again the very best storytelling talents of young Australians and the power their stories have to bring positive changes to their regional communities,” she said.
“2022 is going to be an exciting year for ABC Heywire and for the ABC in regional Australia. We will be embedding more journalists and teams in more regional locations, which will allow us to put even more focus on the stories and issues impacting young people who live outside the major cities.”
Senator Bridget McKenzie, Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education, said ABC Heywire provided young Australians with a platform to share their stories.
“The winners of this competition have opened their lives and hearts to the rest of the nation,” said Minister McKenzie. “The stories that are shared through this competition shine a spotlight on the variety of experiences, great achievements and positive outcomes of young Australians. I am heartened by the strength and resilience shown by all winners.”
The 2022 ABC Heywire winners include radio announcers, pianola players, LGBTQI+ advocates, farmers and disability advocates – all of whom are proud to champion life in regional, rural and remote Australia.
“I’ve learned that I shouldn’t be ashamed to share my story and to share who I am, said Liam, an out and proud gay man from Launceston, Tasmania (Palawa Country). “Others might be going through the same experience of navigating their sexuality. I hope my story helps them build self-confidence.”
ABC Heywire winner Ashley, from Springsure, Queensland (Gayiri Country), recorded his story after a long day working at a mine site. “It was a little odd recording and listening to my voice but Heywire is a chance to give others a small peek into the opportunity and goodness that is out here,” he said.
“It’s great to gift a voice to the minority that is the young Australians living outside our cities.”
ABC Heywire winner Amber, from Aramac, Queensland said she was passionate about helping to create thriving regional communities. “Once small towns and surrounding agricultural regions succeed and thrive, so does the rest of Australia,” she said.
“Young regional people know that and, by having their say, they can bring positive and rewarding change.”
ABC Heywire is supported by: the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications; Department of Health; Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment; Department of Education, Skills and Employment; Department of Social Services; and AgriFutures Australia.
The full list of 2022 ABC Heywire winners and their stories are here:
Unwind over summer with free audiobooks on ABC listen
This summer, immerse yourself in the sounds of Australia with the ABC listen app. Sitting alongside the suite of award-winning podcasts and live radio, is the ABC listen app ’s collection of home-grown audiobooks.
ABC listen’s collection of audiobooks continues to grow in popularity as more and more Australians embrace the convenience of audiobooks. The impressive catalogue features entertaining, educational and modern classics. All Australian, and all free, and all conveniently available for summertime listening by the beach, at the holiday house, or on the road.
Featuring novels and narration by some of Australia’s favourite writers, rock stars, athletes and personalities, the curated selection has something for everyone.
Before the world famous movies were the books – listen to Rosalie Ham’s The Dressmaker narrated by Rachel Griffiths, and Saroo Brierley’s sweeping story of survival against incredible odds, Lion: A Long Way Home .
Hard-rocking icon Jimmy Barnes recounts the story of his life in Working Class Boy , while Magda Szubanski shares her own fearless and revelatory memoir: Reckoning .
Sport lovers will enjoy listening to para-Olympian tennis champion Dylan Alcott’s action-packed audiobook Able: Gold Medals, Grand Slams and Smashing Glass Ceilings , or world title holding boxer, Joe Williams’ powerful autobiography Defying The Enemy Within packs a punch.
For a healthy, insightful giggle, hear Kitty Flanagan deliver her trademark wit with 488 Rules for Life: The Thankless Art of Being Correct . Boost your mood with Marc Cross’ Anxiety – expert advice from a neurotic shrink who has lived with anxiety all his life, or join ABC’s Heather Ewart as she brings the inspirational rural communities of Australia into splendid, vivid colour in Back Roads: The Scenic Route .
Also included in the collection is Alice Pung’s rich and irreverent modern family portrait, Unpolished Gem , David Malouf’s local Aussie odyssey of friendship, love, and travel – Johnno – plus many more homegrown fiction and non-fiction classics.
ABC listen is the home of Australia’s favourite stories, for all Australians and all for free. Open your ears to a world of new friends, unexpected ideas, and curious places with the ABC listen app.
ABC Chief Digital & Information Officer Helen Clifton to depart
ABC Chief Digital & Information Officer Helen Clifton has announced she will leave the national broadcaster to take up the role of Executive Director of Product Delivery for NHS Digital (part of the National Health Service), based in London, UK.
Ms Clifton has been an ABC Director since 2017, leading the ABC Product & Content Technology division as it drives the organisation’s transition from a traditional broadcaster to the nation’s most highly trusted, valued and leading digital content provider. The ABC now has 18 million active users each week enjoying a range of digital experiences across websites, apps and other products and services.
ABC Managing Director David Anderson paid tribute to Ms Clifton’s time at the ABC and her significant contribution across the organisation.
“Helen has been an outstanding executive at the ABC and is highly respected and admired across the organisation.
“Her knowledge, leadership and vision in driving critically important work at the ABC as we continue the transition to digital products and experiences has been recognised across the industry, where Helen was recently named one of Australia’s top technology leaders.
“Helen has also been instrumental in guiding the ABC through one of the most testing periods in our history, providing vital digital and technology services during the COVID-19 pandemic, when record audiences turned to us.
“On behalf of the leadership team and the ABC, I would like to thank Helen and wish her well in this next chapter of her career.”
ABC Head of Content Management Rebecca Matthews will become ABC Chief Digital & Information Officer in an acting capacity in the interim while a recruitment process for Ms Clifton’s role is underway.
2022 Caroline Jones Scholarship winner
Isabella (Bella) Tolhurst has been named as the 2022 recipient of the ABC’s Caroline Jones Scholarship.
Created in honour of the veteran ABC journalist, the 12-month scholarship provides financial and on-the-job development for a talented young Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander journalist, working with various ABC news and current affairs teams.
Bella is a proud Dyirbal woman but has lived in Naarm (Melbourne) her whole life, on Boonwurrung land. Bella recently completed her studies in Media, Communications and Politics at the University of Melbourne and is passionate about highlighting more Indigenous voices in the media.
“I am so excited and honoured to be selected as this year’s Caroline Jones Scholar,” she says. “To be provided with such an incredible opportunity to launch my career in journalism is an honour and I cannot wait to get started!
“I am grateful to the ABC for the support that they have provided me with thus far and their commitment to increasing Indigenous opportunity and representation within Australian news.
“I anticipate it will be a year full of challenges and growth, which will undoubtedly provide me with the best foundation an aspiring journalist could want. I look forward to developing my skills across the newsroom, networking with people who inspire me, and learning more about where my future in journalism could land me.”
Says Caroline Jones: “Congratulations to Isabella. The year ahead will be an exciting, challenging and rewarding experience for her.
“This scholarship offers splendid training for the award winner as the ABC NEWS division continues to widen opportunities for young First Nations people to become skilled in media and to be significant role models for their peers.”
Tolhurst will start the scholarship later this month with the ABC NEWS Victoria team in Melbourne.
ABC International digital series showcases historic Pacific footage
ABC International Services is launching a new series of digital stories under its ABC Pacific Collection showcasing the national public broadcaster’s diverse historic video content from the Pacific.
Starting Friday 28 January a new story will be released every month as part of the ABC’s 90th anniversary celebrations. Content will be available on the ABC Radio Australia website, ABC International Development YouTube channel, ABC Radio Australia Facebook and PACMAS Facebook.
The series will also form a part of the broader Pacific Collection, a selection of photographic, audio and video content from the ABC archives that celebrates the Pacific’s rich and diverse cultures and connects Islanders with their own history.
More than a hundred items curated for the ABC Pacific Collection have been published online to date.
“As a trusted partner of the Pacific media community the ABC has been telling and sharing stories with audiences in our region for many decades, building a significant historical record in the process,” said Jo Elsom , ABC International Development Lead.
“We’re delighted to bring this content out from the archives and make it more accessible, and each month showcase the strong connections and rich history that we share.”
The Pacific Collection is the ABC’s contribution to the Digital Pasifik platform, through the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS). The PACMAS program is managed by the ABC’s International Development section and funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
As one of Australia’s largest and most influential cultural institutions, with an archive rich in material significant to audiences in our region, the ABC is a proud content partner of the Pacific Virtual Museum initiative.
IOC honours Tracey Holmes for her journalism and leadership
The International Olympic Committee has awarded ABC sports journalist Tracey Holmes the 2021 Women and Sports Award for Oceania.
Holmes is the first journalist to win the prestigious award, which the IOC said recognises her contribution to reporting on women’s sport and mentorship for the next generation of women sports journalists.
“In 1989 I started a weekly segment on the ABC called ‘Women in Sport’, now the ABC has a 50:50 project for its coverage and the sports department is the standout performer,” Holmes said.
“This award is a tribute to all those women athletes and women sports administrators who persevered without money, coverage or recognition to create a world today where women in many countries can do and can be whatever they so choose.
“It is also a tribute to my mother and father, from whom I learned we are all equal, and it is a tribute to all those – many of them men – who freely offered their mentorship and guidance throughout my career.”
A trailblazer for 30 years, Holmes was the first woman to be appointed as a sports broadcast trainee at the ABC and went on to become the first female reporter in its national sports department and the first host, male or female, of a national sports program, ABC Grandstand . The Women in Sport program was influential in increasing coverage of women’s sport in Australia.
As well as her broadcast and digital reporting Holmes hosts award-winning weekly sports show and podcast The Ticket . She is currently in Beijing reporting for the ABC on the Winter Olympics.
Kevan Gosper, honorary IOC member from Australia, said Holmes’s commitment to gender equality and the promotion of women in sports administration was integral to her professional work.
“This is also an important acknowledgement by the IOC and the Women in Sport Commission recognising and rewarding the essential role the media play in how women in sport are portrayed and ensuring the equal coverage of women’s sport and sportswomen by the media,” he said.