More than radio – a community asset: Social Return on Investment analyses of Indigenous Broadcasting Services

There are over 120 Australian Government funded Indigenous Broadcasting Services (IBSs) operating in Australia, with further unfunded IBS transmission sites. They vary in size from very small remote services to large community radio broadcasting services, and together, they reach an estimated audience of at least 100,000 Indigenous listeners who listen regularly. The most substantial investment in Indigenous broadcasting is provided by the Culture and Capability Programme under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) which is administered by the Department of the Prime and Minister and Cabinet (PM&C).

The purpose of this project was to forecast the return on investment over three years of a very remote, regional and urban IBS by understanding, estimating and valuing their impact on stakeholders. The analysis was verified through broader sector consultation to inform the Australian Government about the breadth and depth of impact likely to occur as a result of their continued investment in IBSs.