This coming Saturday I will be attending a very special function in my electorate of Calwell. One of our community radio stations—and I am pleased to say that in Calwell we have three community radio stations—Bulla FM will be rebadged and relaunched as community radio 3NRG at its new premises, the Derek Rigby Room at the Sunbury Campus of Victoria University.
Community radio, first called public radio, has played a major role in Australian media. First established some 30 years ago when the Whitlam government ended the dominance of entrenched commercial radio by introducing a third tier of broadcasting known as the FM band, community radio is about ordinary people and communities getting together to produce programs that are of local interest and about giving the opportunity for an independent voice to be heard on Australian airwaves. Community radio is a non-profit organisation which relies almost exclusively on the good work and commitment of volunteers and which has evolved over the years into a much valued resource, becoming the largest growth sector in the Australian media industry. In fact, at the beginning of March 2003, there were 200 licensed community radio stations around Australia with some 150 waiting to be licensed.
Like the local newspaper, community radio becomes part of the community and offers the local content that commercial radio is not interested in providing. Commercial radio has, by withdrawing from local services and content, made the role of community radio more important than ever. I have spoken in this place before about the benefits of ethnic community radio stations and have referred to my own experience in broadcasting as a volunteer with 3ZZZ community radio. Community radio enjoys grassroots support and provides a forum and voice for a diversity of groups and interests including religious, Indigenous, student, youth and alternative minorities.
In the same spirit and tradition of community radio, Bulla FM—soon to be radio 3NRG—based in a region in Melbourne's north-west suburbs, is a community station for Melbourne's fringe and outlying areas. Over the last 10 years of the station's history it has served a changing and rapidly growing community made up of major centres like Sunbury and smaller dispersed rural towns like Bulla, Wildwood, Diggers Rest, Clarkefield and much of the outlying regions of the Hume City Council.
Programming on the station covers a wide range of musical styles, including jazz, country, heavy metal and contemporary music. It is also a key information source for local matters, events and services and, with close to 10,000 kids under the age of 18 in Sunbury, its youth program is a key focus for the many young people to get involved and have some fun and also to take the opportunity to acquire valuable skills and to develop their confidence and give expression to their creativity.
The relaunch on Saturday is not just about renaming the station; it is about creating a new future as it goes into a 24 hour a day, seven day a week operation. I would like to congratulate the committee of management, its chairperson Alan Olsen, station manager John Dent and the many broadcasters and volunteers on the successful upgrade of a community asset.
