Now Open: $50 Million Public Interest News Gathering Grant Program

May 8, 2020

Maranoa MP David Littleproud is calling on eligible news outlets to apply for a grant through the $50 million Public Interest News Gathering (PING) program.

“Across Maranoa, communities rely on local newspapers, radio stations and TV stations to stay informed about current events and in touch with their community,” Mr Littleproud said.

“The PING program is now taking applications and this grant will help support local newspapers, radio and TV stations through the pandemic and in turn, help secure local media jobs.
“That’s so important for keeping communities connected.”

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the PING program is one of several relief measures the Government is delivering to support journalism, particularly as media organisations face increased challenges due to COVID-19.

“The PING program is designed to help support those businesses to continue their important work gathering and sharing news to keep locals informed,” Minister Fletcher said.

“We’ve also fast-tracked $5 million of funding from the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund, temporarily suspended content quota obligations for commercial and subscription television, and provided spectrum tax fee relief for 12 months for commercial television and radio broadcasters.”

Applications will be considered through a demand-driven grant process. Organisations that satisfy the criteria – producing Australian public interest journalism with a commitment to accuracy, accessibility and broad relevance – will be eligible.

Applications for the PING program will close on 29 May 2020. The guidelines and application process is available on the Government’s central grants website: grants.gov.au

Regional newspaper publishers who have separately applied for funding under the latest round of the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund, administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, are also free to apply for funding under the PING program.

ENDS