Indigenous Australians have advocated for a distinct Indigenous television service for over 25 years. In late 2005, the Minister for Communications, IT and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, announced the funding for National Indigenous TV Ltd. (NITV) for four years as part of the Backing Indigneous Ability package.
NITV will acquire and commission a range of programming by, for and about Indigneous people. It will begin mid 2007, and will expand in hours and scope from that time. NITV will be broadcast from Imparja, Alice Springs' Indigenous owned television station, on Imparja's second satellite channel. NITV are exploring other platforms, including PAY TV for transmission in the future so they can reach as many Australian viewers as possible.
The NITV service will offer unique programming with a distinct editorial point-of-view. It will present Indigenous people, stories and issues to all Australians, thus promoting understanding and reflecting the sense of the rich complexity of the Australian identity and culture.
Pat Turner has been appointed CEO of NITV and Paul Remati, Director of Television.
Previously the most senior Indigenous person in the Australian Public Service, Pat has had an illustrious career spanning over 28 years. Past positions include Deputy CEO, Centrelink; CEO of the Aboriginl and Torres Strait Islander Commission, and Deputy Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Pat was awarded the Order of Australia for public servcie in 1990. An Arrernte woman from Alice Springs, Ms Turner holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Canberra where she was awarded the university prize for Development Studies.
Paul Remati comes to NITV from his position as Head of Television for the prestigious Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Previously, he was Head of Production and Planning for ABC Television. As a twenty-five year veteran in the Australian television industry, Paul's career ranges from senior executive management in broadcasting, through developing and producing programs for commercial, subscription and public telvision networks, to leading future industry direction as an educator.
NITV is governed by a Board led by Chair Prof. Larissa Behrendt (University Technology Sydney) and Deputy Chair Dot West (Goolari Media, Broome). The board consists of Foundation members representing Indigenous Media and Language organisations, and members chosen for specific expertise.
AICA is proud to have been involved in the early establishment of NITV and have retained our association with our Chair, Mr Ken Reys, being on the board of directors of NITV along with other board members also members of AICA.
Indigenous Australia has not had a high profile on Australian television. This is a product of many inter-related factors. There is little Indigenous produced content on television, particularly on commercial and pay television, which capture the majority of viewers. A realistic estimate of Indigenous produced content broadcast across all media would be less than 2 hours per week (1.2%).
NITV will present Indigenous people, stories and issues to all Australians, thus promoting understanding and relfecting the sense of the rich complexity of the Indigenous identity and culture.
Check here for a comprehensive database of exisitng Indigenous film and video content.