Public Interest News Gathering Program

Overview

The Australian Government has announced a total of $50 million (GST exclusive) in grants to support the provision of public interest journalism in regional Australia. The objective of the Program is to support regional broadcasters and publishers to maintain their production and distribution of public interest journalism in regional Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic phase. This Program implements the Government’s response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Digital Platforms Inquiry by replacing the remaining Regional and Small Publishers Jobs and Innovation Package. Adding to the strong case for support already made by the ACCC is the increasing economic disruption resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The enhanced program will provide direct support for the continued provision of local and regional journalism, which has never been more important than in recent times when communities across Australia need access to trusted sources of news and information. The Program will meet its objective by enabling regional television and radio broadcasters, and regional publishers, to continue to provide public interest journalism to regional and remote communities across Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.