The Government is investing more than $60 million in quality regional journalism.

Infographic-Revitalising small and regional media companies. Study-Scholarships for 60 regional journalism students. Work-200 cadetships to create jobs in small and regional media companies. Innovate-$50m to help small and regional publishers adapt to the evolving media environment. For more information visit www.communications.gov.au/regionalinnovation

The Regional and Small Publishers Jobs and Innovation Package is designed to help small metropolitan and regional publishers adapt to the challenges facing the contemporary media environment, create employment opportunities for cadet journalists and support regional students to study journalism.

The package is worth $60.4 million over three years and consists of three programs:

  1. The Regional Journalism Scholarships Program
  2. The Regional and Small Publishers Cadetship Program
  3. The Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund.

Why do we need these programs?

The media industry is in a significant and sustained transition period, putting the delivery of quality journalism under pressure. This poses challenges for small publishers and small regional newspapers in particular.

The business models that have traditionally supported journalism—particularly those funded by advertising revenue—have changed, and the need to adapt successful subscriber and revenue models is proving especially demanding for smaller publications.

  • Quality journalism is an important feature of our democracy, and access to locally relevant factual journalism is vital to developing and maintaining strong regional communities.
  • Effective journalism also plays an important role in holding our institutions to account and creates a framework in which complex issues can be understood. Quality journalism offers the public reliable information to support decisions in political, economic and social life.

Infographic—Revitalising small and regional media companies with 60 scholarships for regional journalism students; 200 cadetships to create jobs in small and regional media companies; and $50m to help small and regional publishers adapt to the evolving media environment.

The Regional Journalism Scholarships Program

About the program

The Regional Journalism Scholarships Program (the Scholarships Program) is running over two financial years from 2018–19 to 2019–20.

The program aims to help emerging journalists acquire the skills and knowledge needed to operate in the contemporary news media industry and be job-ready at the completion of their studies.

The Scholarships Program is expected to increase the:

  • number of regional and remote students studying journalism related courses
  • rate of completion of these students
  • number of regional and remote students ready for jobs in the media after completing their studies.

Successful grant recipients

In December 2018, the Minister for Communications and the Arts announced the successful grant recipients under the first round of the Scholarships Program.

View our Successful grant recipients under the Regional Journalism Scholarships Program fact sheet for more information and the list of recipients.

The Regional and Small Publishers Cadetships Program

The Regional and Small Publishers Cadetships Program (the Cadetships Program) is running over two financial years from 2018–19 to 2019–20. The program helps small and regional publishers to support early career journalists by providing financial assistance for new cadets for at least 12 months.

The Cadetships Program is expected to:

  • create new cadet opportunities to drive public interest journalism, particularly in regional and remote areas
  • equip emerging Australian journalists, particularly in regional and remote areas, with skills and experience to operate effectively in in a modern, digital media environment
  • enhance news coverage of important community issues, particularly in regional and remote areas.

Successful grant recipients

In December 2018, the Minister for Communications and the Arts announced the successful grant recipients under the first round of the Cadetships Program.

View our Successful grant recipients under the Regional and Small Publishers Cadetships Program fact sheet for more information and the list of recipients.

Contact

Phone: 02 6271 1400
Email: RegionalInnovation@communications.gov.au

The Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund

The Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund (the Innovation Fund) is a competitive grants program that will support regional and small publishers to transition to and compete more successfully in the evolving media environment.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is administering the program.

To learn more about the Innovation Fund, and to see a list of successful grant recipients, visit the ACMA's website.

Contact

Phone: 1300 850 115
Email: innovationfund@acma.gov.au
For more information: go to the Broadcast and Content Reform Package webpage.