MELBOURNE, 3 July, 2023: The Victorian Government has in its move to connect more with multicultural communities and fulfil it’s election commitment has from this month, initiated the Victorian Government policy that requires all its departments and agencies to spend at least 15 % of their campaign media spend on multicultural media outlets. This increase was committed by Premier Daniel Andrews, during a media interaction with the multicultural media on November 15, 2022.
In the media interaction on that day Premier Daniel Andrews made crucial announcements for the multicultural media relating to advertising and grants. This included an increase of multicultural media’s share in the budget revenue from 5% to 15 % and $ 1.5 million in other grants. These steps, the Premier said, are meant to keep the multicultural media going to keep doing their stories.
The Premier said the multicultural media is our great asset and we know, ” you guys play a critical role in getting messages through.” During the tough times, the multicultural media’s role was critical and became our great asset. “The multicultural media does not work without you”, he said.
“Labor understands the importance of keeping multicultural media outlets strong, ensuring our media landscape continues to reflect the many communities who have helped shape the modern Victoria we know today”, he said.
Fotis Kapetopoulos, the Secretary for the newly-formed Independent Multicultural Media Australia (IMMA) welcomed the policy and said it was important that departments focus on communicating with multicultural communities effectively, “instead of spending vast amounts on foreign social media companies.”
Kapetopoulos said that independent multicultural media is diverse and includes legacy and new digital media, “that represents the breadth of multicultural Australia.”
“IMMA represents a media ecology that is unique, some of our members have very long legacies, while others are new and represent new emerging communities.
“Multicultural media speak to the community, across generations in community languages as well as in English, we start conversations in families and communities.”
