First Nations Media Australia

Overview

First Nations Media Australia (FNMA) is the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander broadcasting, media, and communications organizations. Founded in 2001 as the Indigenous Remote Communications Association (IRCA), the organization originally served remote Indigenous media operations. In 2016, FNMA underwent a structural change, expanding its membership and mandate to become the national peak body for all First Nations media across Australia. The organization is headquartered in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, with board members and member organizations located across the country.

FNMA represents a sector that the Australian government funds at over $26 million annually, supporting 48 First Nations media organizations. This includes Indigenous radio stations, Remote Indigenous Media Organisations (RIMOs), and Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Services (RIBS). The membership base includes up to 105 RIBS, 33 additional licensed retransmission sites, 8 RIMOs, and 28 urban and regional First Nations radio services. In December 2024, the government announced an additional $12 million through the Indigenous Broadcasting and Media Program under the News Media Assistance Program, directed at capability building, equipment upgrades, training, and technical skills development.

Sector Structure and Screen Industry Connections

Australia's First Nations media infrastructure operates across radio, television, and digital platforms. NITV (National Indigenous Television), part of the SBS network, provides a national broadcast platform for Indigenous-produced content. Remote community broadcasters produce local language programming for communities across Australia's interior, maintaining cultural connections and providing professional development pathways for Indigenous media practitioners.

Screen Australia's Indigenous Department supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander screen practitioners through dedicated production funding programs. FNMA provides the community media infrastructure that feeds practitioners into the screen industry, while Screen Australia funds individual productions. The two organizations operate in complementary rather than overlapping roles.

FNMA also runs the FNMA News Initiative, a 6-month journalism training project for First Nations people, funded by the University of Canberra's Amplifying Indigenous News ARC Linkage Project, Google News Lab, Meta (Walkley), and the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA). The training includes weekly online masterclasses and a week-long intensive at Batchelor Institute.

Protocols for Indigenous Storytelling

FNMA provides guidance on culturally appropriate engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, communities, and traditional knowledge. The protocols cover story ownership, community consultation, the use of restricted cultural knowledge, and the depiction of ceremony, sacred sites, and language. These protocols apply to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners.

For non-Indigenous producers, directors, and writers seeking to incorporate Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander stories or perspectives into their work, FNMA's protocols provide the baseline framework for ethical engagement. Productions that are not initiated and led by Indigenous practitioners face high obligations to consult, seek permission, and be guided by the Indigenous communities whose stories and knowledge they engage with. Understanding these protocols early in development, rather than attempting to comply retroactively, prevents the cultural harm and practical complications that arise when protocol obligations are not observed.

Policy Advocacy and the First Nations Broadcasting Strategy

FNMA's 2024-2025 agenda, developed through member consultations and surveys, focuses on four objectives: increasing operational and employment funding, recognizing First Nations broadcasters as the preferred channel for government messaging, expanding training and career pathway programs, and upgrading infrastructure and digital networks. A 2024 member survey identified critical employment gaps in organizational leadership and middle management, including management, editors, producers, IT and broadcast technicians, financial management, HR, and marketing.

The Australian government's National Indigenous Australians Agency is working with FNMA to develop a First Nations Broadcasting Strategy, as called for under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. FNMA has requested a $20 million funding injection to restore parity in sector funding, which has not kept pace with indexation. The organization secured $12 million spread over 3 years as part of this advocacy.

In its September 2025 submission to the Senate Environment and Communications Reference Committee, FNMA called for AI readiness and digital infrastructure support for remote media organizations, a Creative Fund requiring platforms that train AI on First Nations content to contribute a percentage of turnover, and Indigenous-led AI initiatives to ensure cultural protocols guide technology use.

CONVERGE National Conference

FNMA's annual CONVERGE conference brings the First Nations media industry together for sector updates, networking, and strategic direction-setting. CONVERGE 2025 was held on Larrakia Country in Darwin from July 29 to 31, under the theme "Meeting Together >> Moving in One Direction." The conference included open Q&A sessions with government ministers, addressing funding allocations and the ongoing fight for sustainable, community-controlled media funding.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Australian productions involving Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander content, FNMA provides protocol guidance and can facilitate connections with Indigenous cultural consultants and community organizations. The organization does not directly fund screen productions but provides the infrastructure, training pathways, and policy framework that support Indigenous practitioners entering the screen industry.

For Indigenous Australian practitioners, FNMA's network of community media organizations provides professional development pathways, community connections, and institutional support that mainstream industry entry points do not provide. The First Nations Take It On leadership mentoring program, run in collaboration with the Community Media Training Organisation (CMTO), pairs emerging Indigenous media leaders with experienced industry mentors over an 8-week program.

For international producers, FNMA is the primary point of contact for understanding the Indigenous media landscape in Australia and the protocols that apply when engaging with First Nations stories and communities.

See Also

For Screen Australia's dedicated Indigenous funding programs, see Screen Australia in this directory. For the Canadian equivalent, see Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) in this directory. Use the Indie Film Budget Calculator to estimate production costs for projects engaging Indigenous cultural consultants and community consultation processes.