A week or so ago the Federal government announced they would be rebating the licence fees for the free to air television companies.

Ostensibly this is so they will produce more Australian content even though there is no compulsion on them to do so. The markets certainly think they know where it will go with the share prices for these companies increasing.

The cost is estimated to be between $250-500Mil

On the same day, before the Prime Minster presented his second “Closing The Gap” report the government announced $9mil in funding to improve mother and infant care. This is to spread over 10 health services and over three years.

Averaged out this is $300,000 a year.

Employing someone out bush (and not all these health services are out bush) is not cheap. There is the cost of accommodation (intervention staff live in $500,000 office/houses built specially for them) and a vehicle (a properly equipped troopie approximately $70 000). Depending on the program funding these capital costs are usually not funded.

At the three year mark you really are only starting to win the trust and respect of people who see whitefellas come out and make a lot of promises and never be seen again. It is about that time that a bit of momentum may be developed. And what happens… no funding.

Now don’t get me wrong. Any money for Indigenous health is needed and accepted gratefully, Like all government monies there will be onerous reporting and outcomes and restrictions on how the money is spent (and reporting and outcomes is necessary). But compare this to the half a billion dollars the free to air TV companies get.

For. Doing. Nothing.

Tagged as: aboriginal, antenatal, babies, free to air, funding, Indigenous, mothers, rebate, TV

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