Support for Australian Associated Press Program

Overview

The Support for Australian Associated Press (AAP) grant opportunity was announced as part of a package of measures under the News Media Assistance Program (News MAP) launched in December 2024. News MAP provides a framework and measures to support public interest journalism and media diversity in Australia – recognising these are critical to a healthy democracy, social cohesion and informed citizens. The Australian Government will provide $37 million over 2 financial years from 2026-27 to 2027-28 for the Support for AAP grant opportunity. Funding provided through this grant opportunity will help sustain AAP’s wholesale newswire service through to the end of June 2028. The AAP is an independent, fact-based wholesale newswire service that provides news content to over 400 Australian media outlets. Over 300 of these publications are located in regional areas and provide valuable local jobs and media voices to those communities. The AAP plays an important role in sustaining media diversity in Australia by providing an independent, fact-based wholesale newswire service to Australian news organisations. Newswire services play a role in broadening the range of content available to consumers, including local news content. Many small news organisations, including those located in regional and remote areas, rely on the services of AAP to operate efficiently and effectively. The objective of the grant opportunity is to contribute to media diversity and the broader news ecosystem by ensuring Australian news organisations, the majority of which are in regional and remote Australia, retain access to an independent wholesale newswire service. The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are: Australian news outlets continue to have access to an independent, fact-based wholesale newswire service AAP core newswire services remain available to support public interest journalism and media diversity, including for regional and remote media outlets.