Exciting times for IRCA as we begin the transition to becoming the official national peak body representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media organisations. IRCA leaders have been hard at work reviewing its Constitution, structure and services to prepare for this challenge. IRCA’s primary purpose will be to build the capacity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander broadcasting, media and communications industry, providing effective representation and resourcing to assist remote, regional and urban media organisations.
“We’ve been doing a lot of planning and consultation over the last year, including looking at the structure of other peak bodies to determine the best model for IRCA” said Tadam Lockyer, IRCA Chairperson. “This includes changing the Constitution to an organisational membership model. This is a big change but will ensure IRCA becomes a strong, effective voice for the whole Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander broadcasting and media industry.”
IRCA has now launched its draft Strategic Plan 2016-19 for feedback from members and stakeholders http://irca.net.au/draft-strategic-plan. The Plan outlines the proposed structure, functions and activities for IRCA to meet the needs of members and stakeholders. IRCA will be actively consulting with all stakeholders over the next 6-7 months to hear what services and support the sector wants from its peak body. This will lead to a national industry conference planned for Alice Springs in about May 2017.
IRCA was set up in 2001 as the peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples working in the remote media sector. In 2015 the IRCA Board accepted the request of the Australian Government to expand its role and representation to include regional and urban media organisations. IRCA began the one-year transition from July 2016.
Over the last year, IRCA has worked with our remote membership and stakeholders to ensure they support the changes before we broaden our consultation nationally. The IRCA Board have reviewed the Constitution, strategic plan and peak body services with input from membership, RIMOs and an advisory group. IRCA has been fortunate to be included in the Jawun secondment program, with three secondees to date assisting with elements of this planning and review process.
Tadam says the new peak body will build on IRCA’s role over 15 years of supporting remote Indigenous media to maintain language and culture, provide tools for self-representation and use media as a tool for community development. While IRCA will now support business development and financial sustainability, it will continue its strong advocacy role for digital inclusion of remote Indigenous people and relevant Indigenous media services for underserved communities.