Grants to assist the sustainability of Australian news publishers

You can apply if you:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• be registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST)
• have an account with an Australian financial institution

And either:

• be located in, and provide core news content to, an eligible geographic community, or
• provide core news content targeted to an eligible audience.

You must also be one of the following entities:

• an entity, incorporated in Australia
• a company limited by guarantee
• an incorporated association
• a co-operative
• a partnership
• an incorporated not for profit organisation or registered charity
• an individual.

Eligible geographical communities

Eligible geographic communities are:

• a regional community - located in a regional area of Australia, i.e. one that is in a location that is not a major city of Australia. The geographic community may be centred on one or more specific towns or local government areas in a regional area with shared communal interests. The publication’s target audience is the regional community and does not target a state or national news audience.
• a local suburban community - located in a major city of Australia and is centred on one or more specific suburbs or local government areas in a metropolitan area with shared communal interests. The publication’s target audience is the local suburban community and does not target a state or national news audience.

Under the Australian Bureau of Statistics Remoteness Structure, major cities of Australia include but are not limited to: Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide, and Melbourne. Hobart is not considered a major city of Australia. For this definition the Remoteness Structure takes into consideration access to social interaction, goods and services. You can check your location against the ABS Remoteness Structure at nationalmap.gov.au.

Eligible audiences

Eligible audiences are:

• First Nations audiences - primarily made up of members of at least one Australian First Nations community
• CALD audiences - primarily made up of members of at least one, specific community defined by their national, linguistic or cultural background.

Other eligibility requirements

We can only accept applications:

• where you provide evidence your primary purpose is the creation and distribution of core news content
• where you provide evidence that each journalist applied for under this program produces core news content
• where you provide payroll details as evidence of the number of FTE journalists employed in the previous 12 months.

You can’t apply if you are:

• an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
• an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
• insolvent
• a foreign controlled Australian entity (section 820-780 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997)
• a Commonwealth, state, territory or local government body (including government business enterprises)
• affiliated with a foreign government, political party, union, financial institution, non-government organisation, or policy lobby group where that affiliation would influence or might be seen to influence, the content produced by the applicant.

The maximum project period is 6 months. You must maintain your project, the employment of journalists producing core news content, for a period of 6 months after entering into your grant agreement.

Eligible expenditure is journalist salary/ies.