Applications now open for the 2024 ABC Heywire Competition
Toowoomba teenager, Rheanca, is calling on all young people living in regional communities to tell their stories as part of the 2024 ABC Heywire competition, which opens today.
“No matter how big or small your story is, if you feel it needs to be heard, now is the time to share it!” Rheanca said.
Reflecting on her experience as a participant of this year’s ABC Heywire storytelling competition for regional young people, Rheanca is direct:
“ABC Heywire is so much more than just a competition. It’s a lifelong community and network of incredible young people, community stakeholders and mentors.”
Now, the ABC wants to grow that community of young, regional changemakers. The national broadcaster is calling on young people aged 16-22 to share their experiences of living outside the capital cities for the opportunity to have their stories featured on the ABC.
Entries can be submitted at abc.net.au/heywire/competition in any format including writing, video, photos and audio. Entries are now open, and close 1 September 2023.
Rheanca shared her story about enduring treatment for atopic dermatitis by doctors who didn’t recognise how the painful condition presented on brown skin.
“Sharing my story not only helped other young people with chronic conditions know they are not alone, but also brought light to racial bias issues that are rarely talked about.” Rheanca reflects.
For more than 25 years, Heywire has empowered individuals from across regional Australia to speak up about the issues they care about.
“It’s where storytelling becomes a vehicle of positive change and empowers us as youth to create meaningful initiatives in our small communities.” Rheanca explains.
Jo, a proud sistagirl from Ngukurr, a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory, agrees. Speaking candidly about growing up trans with the support of her family was important for Jo as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Heywire is an amazing opportunity for young people to share their stories, connect with others, and have their voices heard. I have inspired a lot of the Indigenous queers in remote communities with my story. It was a blessing and an experience that I will never forget!”
Jo and Rheanca were two of 36 winners from across Australia who worked with ABC producers to have their stories featured across ABC platforms including ABC TV, RN, local radio, triple j and iview. Competition winners also receive an all-expenses paid trip to the ABC Heywire Regional Youth Innovation Summit in Canberra. This once in a lifetime experience supports the young people to develop their leadership skills while discussing how life could be improved for young people in their communities.
Minister for Skills and Training The Hon Brendan O’Connor encouraged young rural and regional Australians to get involved and enter the competition.
“Young people in rural and regional Australia have stories to tell that will shape our nation for decades to come,” Minister O’Connor said.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to empower the next generation of young Australians, to give them a voice about issues that are important to us all.”
The Director of ABC News, Justin Stevens, said Heywire celebrates the voices of young Australians from regional communities.
“Heywire continues to be an exciting way for the ABC to connect with the firsthand perspectives and storytelling skills of young Australians in communities around the country.
“It powerfully tells the story of these communities to the rest of the country and has given a voice to young people over a number of years. We can’t wait to see what the next year holds.”
Get your entries in via the Heywire website by 1 September 2023.
Heywire acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts; Department of Health and Aged Care; Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Department of Employment and Workplace Relations; the Office for Youth and AgriFutures Australia.
ABC brings the Garma Festival to all Australians
The ABC will bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, stories and culture from the Garma Festival to all Australians across ABC platforms from 4-7 August.
The annual Garma Festival is run by the Yothu Yindi Foundation in north-east Arnhem Land and is Australia’s premier Indigenous cultural exchange. The event serves as a national hub for discussions, policy and action formulation, and brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through youth forums, art, music, film, song, dance and exhibitions.
The ABC is proud to once again be the Garma Festival’s official media partner. Since its inception, the Garma Festival has been at the forefront of discussions about the future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The theme for this year’s event is Djambatj. In Yolngu, Djambatj is the vision of perfection; a moment in time when the balance of our world is in order. This year the festival will also honour the memory of the Garma Festival founder and Chairman, Yunupingu, with opportunities over the four-day festival to acknowledge his immense contribution as a pioneer for Indigenous rights.
ABC Managing Director David Anderson said this year was an opportunity to reflect and build on the incredible legacy of the late Yunupingu.
“The ABC is proud to bring the Garma Festival to all Australians and honour the memory of the late Yunupingu, whose tireless efforts brought significant change for Indigenous rights and whose impact will be felt by generations of Indigenous Australians,” he said.
“The Garma Festival has always focussed on the important issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
ABC at the Garma Festival
The ABC will bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, stories and culture from Gulkula to our audiences on all platforms.
Our coverage will be led by Head of Indigenous News Suzanne Dredge and a team of First Nations reporters and can be seen and heard on the ABC News channel, ABC Radio and across our digital and social platforms during the festival and beyond.
Q+A will be recording a special episode hosted by the ABC’s Voice Correspondent and The Drum presenter Dan Bourchier at the festival. It will canvas an array of opinions on the proposed Voice to Parliament and seek the views of young people and local communities. It will air on Monday August 7.
On Friday 4 August ABC audiences will be able to watch the Garma Festival official opening ceremony on the ABC News channel at 4.00pm Australian Central Standard Time (4.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time).
RN Breakfast presenter Patricia Karvelas will be back at the Garma Festival this year reporting for ABC News, RN, and digital.
ABC News Breakfast will also focus on the festival with its coverage featuring Tony Armstrong.
Insiders will broadcast live from Gulkula on the Sunday 6 August with David Speers hosting a panel of three experts and political guests.
We will serve younger audiences with bespoke content for triple j’s Hack, and BTN filming segments from the festival over the weekend.
ABC Chief People Officer Dharma Chandran
The ABC’s Chief People Office (CPO), Dharma Chandran, has advised the ABC he will leave the Corporation at the end of January 2024. At that time Dharma will have served two-and-a-half-years in the CPO role.
Mr Chandran joined the ABC in October 2021 as CPO after a lengthy and successful career in consulting, corporate and board roles.
ABC Managing Director David Anderson paid tribute to Mr Chandran’s contribution to the organisation during a challenging period.
“During his time at the ABC Dharma has made a significant contribution by leading People & Culture as they supported the organisation through the transition from COVID-19 restrictive conditions to hybrid working,” Mr Anderson said.
“Dharma has also led a number of significant ABC initiatives and projects, including People Hub Workforce; negotiation of our new Enterprise Agreement; our new Diversity & Inclusion Belonging (DIB) Plan; and support with the Content Reorganisation initiative.
“Dharma has been an experienced and trusted voice as part of the ABC Leadership Team. He has also invested significant time and effort leading our People & Culture function, leveraging his considerable experience.
“We are grateful that Dharma has provided us with sufficient notice of his departure to enable full implementation of the initiatives mentioned above and to ensure a smooth transition with his replacement in the CPO role.
“Dharma has mentioned to me that he has enjoyed his experience with the ABC and has learned a great deal. I would like to thank Dharma for his contribution to the ABC and leadership of the People & Culture function at a crucial time for the ABC.”
The recruitment process will commence shortly, and we anticipate completing it before the end of this year.
The ABC searches for Australia’s favourite animal sound this National Science Week
This National Science Week (August 12-20), the ABC is asking audiences to listen to the world around us as we explore the science of sound and search for Australia’s favourite animal noise.
Audiences can now vote for their favourite animal sound on the ABC Science website. During National Science Week we’ll be finding out more about some of the animals up for the top spot with the winner announced on Friday August 18 in a live “count down” blog on the ABC News website.
ABC Chief Content Officer Chris Oliver-Taylor said: “We’re delighted to be bringing our audience a range of content around the science of sound this National Science Week. The ABC plays such an important role in educating and entertaining all Australian’s and to be able to celebrate the science of sound across Radio National, Catalyst, Play School, triple j as well as original content on ABC Listen and ABC iview is something we our incredibly proud of.”
Across our platforms we’ll also be celebrating Science Week with content exploring the soundscapes of our lives. We’re looking at urban noise and its impact on our mental health, visiting the quietest places in Australia and investigating the science of how sounds are made.
National Science Week highlights
Catalyst – The Soundtrack of Australia
Two-part Catalyst special: Tuesday August 15, and Tuesday August 22 at 8.30pm on ABC and ABC iview
Australia is a stunning country but we seldom tune in our ears to how it sounds.
In this two-part special, Dr Ann Jones is on an odyssey to gather iconic recordings of Australia and explore how they’re made, what messages they carry and how humans are harnessing the power of sound.
Play School: World By Night
Play School: World By Night starts Monday 14 August, airing weekdays at 9am on ABC Kids and ABC iview.
When the sun goes down, the world comes alive in many ways! Put on your cosy jammies and snuggle in for the Play School: World By Night series, exploring bedtime routines, nocturnal animals and bustling cities after dark. With special guests, Kirsten the astronomer and ‘Diva’ the barn owl, there’s plenty to see once day turns to night!
Science With Dr KarlThursday 17 August on triple j and ABC listen
In a special episode of Science with Dr Karl, Australia’s favourite Doctor and triple j’s Lucy Smith explore the physics of sound.
Nature Track
New episode Monday 14 August on ABC listen
A special Science Week episode of the Nature Track podcast will showcase the beautiful “Soundtrack of Australia” as recorded by Dr Ann Jones during the filming of the two-part Catalyst special.
Nature Track opens a window on the beautiful sounds of the Australian wilderness, with long, uninterrupted soundscapes that are perfect for work, exercise, meditation or sleep. Each unique track is carefully recorded on location in a different part of Australia.
ABC RN
A world of sound and noise will feature across ABC RN’s science shows and beyond, including an examination of hearing and dementia on the Health Report, a story of “acoustic restoration” on Future Tense, and a special episode of All In The Mind about the songs we sing our babies.
ABC Kids listen
Nature nerd Ann is back with a brand new season of Noisy by Nature. The 10 new episodes will be releasing weekly from Tuesday the 8th of August, with journeys to the red centre, Tasmanian cliffs, lush rainforests and heaps more. Perfect for all sound detectives, young and old!
News Time will also be spotlighting science week with a countdown of the top five kid-friendly science stories and a special shoutout to ABC’s quest to find Australia’s favourite nature noise.
ABC iview Collections
ABC Science programming: https://iview.abc.net.au/category/science
Science Week with the Family: Science Week with the Family : ABC iview
ABC ME: Science Week : ABC iview
ABC Kids “Full Steam Ahead: It’s Science Week!”: Science Week - Full Steam Ahead : ABC iview
Online
ABC Science
A suite of special digital content will celebrate the science of Australia’s soundscapes, including an animal noise quiz, stories on the ecological role and the evolution of hearing, and a beautiful interactive feature on the superb lyrebird.
Social
ABC accounts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will showcase ABC personalities and their favourite Aussie animal sounds – as well as quizzing the Australian public on their knowledge of our noisiest animal neighbours.
During National Science Week and beyond, the ABC is your home to the best science news, stories and features from across Australia. Stay up to date on all things science at abc.net.au/news/science.
UPDATED
Leigh Sales to deliver 2023 Andrew Olle Media Lecture
ABC journalist and author, Leigh Sales AM, will deliver the 2023 Andrew Olle Media Lecture.
The lecture will be held in Sydney on Friday 27 October.
Leigh is one of Australia’s most respected journalists and the presenter of ABC TV’s Australian Story.
During her award-winning career, she has interviewed dozens of world leaders and celebrities, including Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, the Dalai Lama, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood and Bill Gates, and every living Australian Prime Minister.
Leigh has worked extensively in the field as a general news reporter and as the ABC’s Washington correspondent for the tumultuous four years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On her return to Australia, she anchored the ABC’s flagship current affairs program 7.30 as well as the last three federal elections.
Leigh is the winner of three Walkley Awards; the author of the books Detainee 002, On Doubt, Well Hello and the recently released Storytellers: Questions, Answers and the Story of Journalism, as well as the bestselling Any Ordinary Day. She is also the co-host of the popular podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 with Annabel Crabb. In 2023, her service to journalism and the community was recognised with two honorary doctorates from Edith Cowan University and the Queensland University of Technology.
“We are at a juncture in journalism where Andrew Olle’s values are more essential than ever – fairness, impartiality, accuracy, precision but even more than that, empathy and humility,” Leigh said.
“It’s an incredible honour to be asked to deliver this lecture in his shadow and to remember the best ways for journalism to win and hold the public’s trust.”
Managing Director of the ABC, David Anderson, said there was never a more important time to endorse the crucial role public interest journalism plays in Australian life.
“Leigh has had extensive experience as a reporter and presenter, both here and overseas, which has given her unique insights into the importance of public interest journalism across all media and the changing face of news and information brought about by the rise of social media.”
“I am looking forward to Leigh’s thought-provoking and timely take on the key issues facing the Australian media and a glimpse of what is to come.”
Previous Andrew Olle Media Lecture speakers include ABC Chair Ita Buttrose AC OBE, Peter FitzSimons, Lisa Wilkinson, Caroline Wilson, Joseph Kahn, Waleed Aly, Helen McCabe, Kate McClymont, Mark Colvin, Laurie Oakes, Ray Martin AM, John Hartigan, John Doyle AM, Lachlan Murdoch, Kerry Stokes AC and Jana Wendt.
The lecture is held in honour of one of the ABC’s iconic broadcasters, Andrew Olle. It will be delivered at a black-tie dinner at Doltone House, Hyde Park, Sydney on Friday 27 October. ABC Radio Sydney Drive presenter Richard Glover will host the evening.
Tickets are available Andrew Olle Media Lecture 2023 – ABC Sydney.
The Andrew Olle Media Lecture will be broadcast nationally on Nightlife on Friday 27 October from 11.00pm on ABC Radio. The lecture will also be available on the ABC News channel and ABC iview, with times to be announced.
Successful Teams for Fresh Blood 3 announced
The ABC and Screen Australia are delighted to announce the 10 successful teams for the 2023 Fresh Blood initiative.
Fresh Blood has been the launchpad for the careers of some of Australia’s best comedy writers, directors, and performers.
The teams were selected from more than 400 entrants, and each has received $50,000 to make three comedy shorts of 3 x 5 – minutes duration. The teams are currently taking part in workshops in Sydney.
The shorts will premiere on the ABC’s and creators’ social media platforms. Up to three projects will then be selected by the ABC and Screen Australia to make a longer pilot between 20-27 minutes, with the potential to be commissioned by the ABC as a series.
Fresh Blood has helped launch the careers of comedians such as Aunty Donna, Nina Oyama, Freudian Nip, Fancy Boy, Michael Cusack and Skit Box.
Rachel Millar, the ABC’s Acting Head of Entertainment said: “The standard of applications submitted for Fresh Blood 3 has truly knocked our socks off, and narrowing the field to a top ten was a serious challenge. The ABC is thrilled to be running this initiative again in partnership with Screen Australia, and we can’t wait to see what the next generation of comedy creators comes up with. Bring on the lols.”
Lee Naimo, Screen Australia Head of Online and Games said: “Fresh Blood has a strong legacy of supporting new comedy creators, and it’s genuinely exciting to be able partner with the ABC again to develop these entertaining projects from these talented teams. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of this year’s cohort.”
The 2023 Fresh Blood 3 projects are:
BAD ANCESTORS
Team: Wendy Mocke, Rizcel Gagawanan, Jessica Magro and Enoch Mailangi
Synopsis: Best Friends Norah and Charli must spend their afterlife providing ancestral guidance to young black people.
DAY JOB
Team: Paul Georghiou, Brooke Kymberley, Todor Manojlovic and Heather Riley
Synopsis: Day Job is an animated documentary that follows the lives of the over-qualified young staff of a dingy local bowling alley. Watch as that dream life of passion, love and career triumph always narrowly eludes them. But that stack of used bowling shoes is always there for them, just waiting to be cleaned.
FINE ART
Team: Emma Holland and Xavier Hazard
Synopsis: Kooky children’s art presenter Emma struggles to teach morals to a new generation through the joy of crafting, as the puppets, set, and even herself, derail the show in increasingly unsettling sketches (for adults only).
GOING UNDER
Team: Danielle Walker, Lauren Bonner and Megan Wilding
Synopsis: Going Under is about the people of Gowa, a town that will go underwater in 10 years. The series revolves around Katie and Sam, two girls who were childhood best friends but whose lives took them in different directions… Katie works as a journalist in the big smoke and has gone back to her hometown to document what the locals are going through as their town slowly goes under.
I’M SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS
Team: Annie Louey, Jemma Cotter, Joshua Ladgrove, Oscar Axel Thorborg, Annie Thiele
Synopsis: After her father dies unexpectedly, Annie lands a job at a funeral home in an attempt to gain closure. The shambolic small business, run by her dysfunctional boss Naaman, opens Annie’s eyes to the bizarre world of funerals.
KINGSLAND
Team: Josh Yasserie George Coles and Jon Rex Williams
Synopsis: Reg, a hot-headed animated First Nations man living in real-world Redfern, gets evicted from his home and goes in search of his place of belonging (which he can’t remember) guided only by the spirit of his late wife Agnes and Wiiny: a little gum-stoned furry flirt who he can’t understand.
WESTERNERS
Team: Munasib Hamid, Miski Omar, Kevin Jin, Shehryar Hussain & Ayeesha Ash
Synopsis: A surrealist comedy-drama that follows three young adults of the diaspora that move out from the Western Suburbs of Sydney to the Inner West in need of the freedom to express their inner realities. Always finding themselves walking the wire between worlds; their families, their inner monologue and the world around them, they face a set of absurd and hilarious circumstances.
RUBY RAI
Team: Vidya Rajan, Nicholas Colla and Elyce Phillips
Synopsis: Ruby Rai is a down-and-out Private Investigator… which is exactly how she likes it. But it’s not easy being your best hard-boiled self when inept co-workers, meddlesome family, and the endless weirdos (clients and ex-lovers) of the big city are waiting to thwart your every turn.
STARSHIP Q STAR
Team: Lauren Anderson, Meegan May and Lena Moon
When a tone-deaf space agency sends the ‘first all-woman and non-binary crew’ on a PR mission to Mars, they inadvertently end up the last six humans in the universe.
URVI WENT TO AN ALL GIRLS SCHOOL
Team: Urvi Majumdar, Sophie Braham, Michelle Buxton, Rohan Ganju, Suren Jayemanne, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, Chris McDonald, Nina Oyama, and Sashi Perera
Synopsis: In 2010 Melbourne, a nerdy Indian girl struggles to fit in and find love amidst her parents’ traditional expectations and in the heightened, competitive environment of an elite academic all girls’ school.
For further information about the Fresh Blood initiative please visit the Fresh Blood website or read the guidelines.
ABC Statement on X (Twitter)
The ABC has decided to further reduce our activity on X (formerly known as Twitter) and focus our effort on the accounts that overwhelmingly provide the most value.
These are:
- ABC News (@abcnews). This account drives the majority of the ABC’s impact on X and will continue to publish news from Australia’s most trusted news source.
- ABC Sport (@abcsport). Sport remains a popular genre on X, with Australian sports fans engaging with sports content before, during and after games on the platform. @abcsport will continue to be the home of our daily sports conversation on the platform.
- ABC Chinese (@abcchinese). The ABC reflects contemporary Australia which includes creating informative, educational and entertaining content that is relevant, relatable, and inclusive for Australians with different backgrounds and interests. @abcchinese reaches Chinese speaking audiences on Twitter.
- ABC Australia (@abcaustralia). The ABC’s masterbrand account will showcase the breadth and depth of ABC content, as well as being a home for official news, statements and other programming information from the ABC.
All other ABC accounts will be discontinued starting from today. The accounts will have pinned posts informing users where they can access relevant content.
There are multiple reasons for this decision. In February the ABC closed three program accounts and the results from that have been positive, with negligible reduction in referral traffic from Twitter to ABC content.
The vast majority of the ABC’s social media audience is located on other platforms and we want to focus our effort and resources where our audiences are.
X is introducing charges which are making the platform increasingly costly to use.
Also, we have found that closing individual program accounts helps limit the exposure of team members to the sometimes toxic interactions that unfortunately are becoming more prevalent. Concerningly, X has reduced its trust and safety teams.
Don’t really care, they can do what they want. But I can still see many accounts that are up, plus this was obviously a snap decision as there were still stories and engagements being posted today. Also, bad call to close @abcemergency. Now restricting the emergency communication ability. Weird to keep @abcchinese as one of four.
Also the accounts I went on to see which had been closed all seemed to have little-to-no engagement, so I don’t know where this “negativity” is coming from?
It’s also a bad call to close the @abctv account and the X accounts of shows like Four Corners and Foreign Correspondent. As the press release states, @abcaustralia is the home for official news and statements, and should be kept that way. Now the programming changes and promos will go through the same account.
I guess spreading emergency information through analogue radio and other forms of social media is quicker?
Maybe, but why restrict the ability to give out emergency information through tweets (is it xs now?)?
I don’t disagree but I think some emergency services in the US have scaled back using Twitter/X for emergency information because it is an increasingly unreliable platform for disseminating timely information.
It is interesting the ABC quotes that Twitter/X is imposing prohibitive charges to use the platform. I am curious, what are they being charged for? Is this a normal thing for Twitter to charge corporate or media accounts?
I believe the base subscription for an organisation to be verified in Australia is AU$1,500 per month. There is an extra cost for sub accounts of AU$75.
The shift in the way that official/verified accounts are recognised really spelled the end of the use of the platform to disseminate news in any official manner.
I know their rate limiting really screwed with the usefulness of it, so not only for the main accounts but say someone who is just monitoring a local radio account’s mentions or hashtags, etc. on tweetdeck would suddenly need to pay - and likely at that higher ‘company’ rate rather than just a personal blue sub.
There’d be dozens of staff that would have ‘monitor socials’ as part of their job, actively being on the platform encourages people to post there, and checking their posts costs money.
Musk appears to respond:
Well of course they prefer censorship-friendly social media.
The Australian public does not.
Elon Musk has accused the ABC of embracing censorship after Australia’s public broadcaster drastically reduced its presence on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Something that DM calls “brutal”.