SBS Submission to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Soft Power Review October 2018

Key Points  SBS is a cornerstone of Australia’s vibrant civic society, providing robust, independent media services in English, as well as nearly 70 languages other than English. SBS is one of Australia’s most unique soft power assets, a digitally-capable multilingual public broadcaster able to pivot with technological advances to tell the stories of Australia’s multicultural society, and the news of our region.  SBS inspires all Australians to explore, respect and celebrate our diverse world and in doing so, contributes to a cohesive society.  SBS is highly trusted by Australia’s many culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and more generally as a news source for all Australians.  SBS inspires diaspora communities by engaging with audiences and partnering with our many communities to help tell their important stories. SBS Radio communicates a diversity of views and perspectives to audiences in nearly 70 languages other than English. The primary focus of these language programs is information and news about Australia.  In addition, SBS provides international news coverage through the lens of the community living here in Australia, a perspective which migrants are unable to experience through programs sourced from their homeland.  International distribution and investment in the Australian screen industry remains paramount to Australian cultural relations.  It is widely accepted that soft power assets include educational institutions and programs. SBS’s Cultural Competence Program and SBS Learn deliver on SBS’s commitment to contribute to a more cohesive Australia, through deepening understanding of the many cultures that make up Australia today.  SBS’s strong track record in telling local stories and engaging with diverse communities in Australia demonstrates that SBS is an effective soft power asset. Australia’s reputation is strengthened when these audiences share the information, entertainment and education they have gained from SBS with the world.

Introduction The Special Broadcasting Service Corporation (SBS) appreciates the opportunity to submit to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Soft Power Review (the Review). A quarter of Australians were born overseas, almost half have at least one parent born overseas, and 21 per cent (4.87 million people) speak a language other than English at home, according to the 2016 Australian Census. As Australia’s multilingual and multicultural public broadcaster, SBS is therefore needed now more than ever to build understanding and cohesion in our society. SBS reaches almost 100 per cent of the population in Australia through its six free-to-air TV channels (SBS, SBS HD, SBS VICELAND, SBS VICELAND HD, Food Network and National Indigenous Television (NITV)) and seven radio stations (SBS Radio 1, 2, 3, SBS Arabic24, SBS PopDesi, SBS Chill and SBS PopAsia). SBS also has extensive digital services, including:  the SBS On Demand platform, which provides Australians with a distinctive streaming destination that connects audiences to premium content from Australia and around the world; and  the SBS Radio App, which provides access to content from SBS’s broad range of language programs, plus live streaming of four 24/7 digital radio stations (SBS Arabic24, SBS PopAsia, SBS PopDesi and SBS Chill). Leveraging SBS as a soft power asset The 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper (the White Paper)1 notes that having the ability to influence the behaviour and thinking of others through the power of attraction and ideas is vital to foreign policy.2 DFAT’s Public Diplomacy Strategy 2014–16 also acknowledged that culture provides an important opportunity for fostering international relationships and mutual understanding, noting that ‘[a]lliances are just as likely to be forged along the lines of cultural understanding as they are on economic or geographic ones’.3 SBS was established to positively contribute to Australian social outcomes, recognising we are a nation built on migration. Maintaining Australia as a healthy, vibrant, diverse yet highly cohesive society is key to our future success as a nation. The SBS Charter, provided in the Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991 (the SBS Act), states that the principal function of SBS is to ‘…provide multilingual and multicultural radio, television and digital media services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians, and, in doing so, reflect Australia’s multicultural society’.4 In performing its principal Charter function, SBS must increase awareness of the contribution of diverse cultures to the continuing development of Australia; and, advance an understanding and acceptance of the cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity of the Australian people. This promotion contributes to strengthening Australia’s reputation internationally and aligns clearly with the concept of culture as the currency of soft diplomacy.

1 https://www.fpwhitepaper.gov.au/foreign-policy-white-paper 2 https://www.fpwhitepaper.gov.au/foreign-policy-white-paper, page 9 3 https://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/public-diplomacy/Pages/public-diplomacy-strategy.aspx 4 SBS Act, section 6. Page 2 of 9

Addressing the United Nations summit on refugees and migration in 2016, the then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said of Australia’s cultural diversity: Australians are enriched by the cultural diversity of our community – we regard our people as our greatest assets and our unity in diversity, one of our greatest strengths. This is not a recent development. As just one example there is SBS, founded nearly forty years ago, the public broadcaster not only broadcasts in dozens of languages but interpreting and celebrating our multicultural society and the values of mutual respect to the whole society. 5 In the context of globalisation and technological change, Australia’s approach to soft diplomacy continues to evolve. SBS is a perfectly positioned soft power asset—it is uniquely placed to share ideas, and to present Australia’s modern national identity. This can be achieved through its robust, independent news and current affairs services told from an Australian perspective; its dramas and documentaries, which reflect and explore Australia’s national identity and stories; and, its educational services. SBS’s connections with communities, its ability to harness digital services, and its global outlook in presenting information, education and entertainment in innovative ways are also key assets. Further details of SBS’s services are in the following section. While SBS is not required by its Charter to provide services internationally, SBS would welcome the opportunity to provide additional services outside Australia. However, this would require a consequential uplift in funding and potential updates to the Charter of both SBS and the ABC. The value of SBS services SBS has significant potential to function as a compelling soft power resource with multicultural communities for the purpose of public diplomacy. DFAT’s Public Diplomacy Strategy (2014–16)6 rightly points to the importance of ’diaspora diplomacy‘. SBS plays a vital role by providing credible, trustworthy, inclusive, balanced and independent services which meet the communication needs of Australia’s multicultural community. Audiences’ ability to trust in media organisations has never been more vital—in both presenting impartial and in-depth analysis, and in holding government, business and non- government organisations to account. The latest Roy Morgan Trust study shows that public broadcasters are Australia’s most trusted media7—and journalism and independent quality reporting is at the very core of this. SBS has a long-held and well-earned reputation for quality news and analysis on global events, as well as on issues across multicultural and Indigenous Australia. Further details of these services are below. SBS Radio SBS Radio offers the world’s most linguistically diverse public broadcasting services with almost 70 languages on the schedule. A recent GfK Radio Insights study found that radio is the most trusted media in Australia and is seen as the most credible source of news.8

5 https://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/speech-to-the-united-nations-general-assembly 6 https://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/public-diplomacy/Pages/public-diplomacy-strategy.aspx 7 http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7641-media-net-trust-june-2018-201806260239 8 Survey carried out in May 2017, with results released in July 2017. 42% of respondents surveyed considered radio trustworthy, with a wide gap to TV (24%), online (18%) and newspapers/magazines (15%). http://www.gfk.com/en-au/insights/press- release/radio-most-trusted-media-survey-shows/ Page 3 of 9

As a public broadcaster, SBS is committed to being balanced and impartial. Each of the language programs produced by SBS is subject to rigorous Codes of Practice and Editorial Guidelines. In this role, SBS also has a responsibility to apprise all Australians about the community in which they live, which it does by communicating a diversity of views and perspectives to Australian audiences. While migrants to Australia now have access to homeland news and information via satellite television and the internet, SBS Radio plays a fundamental role in providing Australian news and information, celebrating audiences’ cultures, and giving migrants a voice within the Australian community—all in the migrants’ first language. This enables and promotes participation in Australian civic and cultural society. These language services are also an important mechanism for migrant communities to stay informed about overseas issues pertinent to Australian residents—for example, the introduction of laws to prevent the financing of terrorism or impacts to welfare or concession entitlements for people travelling outside Australia. In addition, SBS provides international news coverage through the lens of the community living here in Australia, a perspective which migrants are unable to experience through programs sourced from their homeland. Each SBS radio program (language and music) has a dedicated SBS in-language website, as well as social media profiles across the most popular platforms, including Facebook, WeChat, and Twitter. These also provide the opportunity for international audiences to engage with our programs, topics and discussions on contemporary issues. SBS News SBS delivers content that enhances and enriches the Australian community through a more informed society. Our unique connections and experience with culturally and linguistically diverse and First Nations communities enable SBS to cover news and tell the stories of those communities with respect and dignity. In particular, the news, current affairs and information services provided by SBS inform and promote understanding among all Australians and maximise the opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to engage in social, political and cultural discourse. SBS News and Current Affairs has correspondents based in the United Kingdom and China, which ensures direct access to the most important stories from many migrants’ home countries, as well as access to news contacts in many countries through staff working on our nearly 70 SBS Radio language programs. Wherever a story breaks in the world, our broadcasters can access, in-language, the real stories from real people on the ground—and bring those stories to Australia, where we can also translate them into English to share with all Australians. SBS plays a vital role by providing credible, trustworthy, inclusive, balanced and independent services which meet the communication needs of Australia’s diverse communities. SBS is the only nationally available Australian-based broadcaster providing comprehensive news and current affairs services in languages other than English (LOTE), and provides Australians with an unparalleled offering of international and Australian programming. SBS News online is available internationally, which means that international audiences have access to a rich source of balanced and high quality news and information about Page 4 of 9

Australia in a range of languages. These services are beneficial to those who may be considering migration to Australia, for those who have family here, or for those who may be visiting. In particular, SBS’s settlement guides (published in 35 languages), which are accessible from anywhere in the world, provide valuable insight and critical information about life in Australia for new migrants.9 SBS television content SBS is an important voice helping to share insights and understanding of First Nations, migrant and other diverse communities’ values and stories within a broader Australian landscape. SBS provides Australian audiences with multicultural dramas and documentaries telling local stories (for example, Sunshine, Filthy Rich and Homeless and The Principal); major sporting events, such as the recent 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM; and, a channel devoted to exploring the world and its cultures through food. For First Nations Australians, NITV plays an indispensable role in providing screen content that inspires, instills pride and aims to lead to greater respect of First Nations culture. Recent highlights have included Servant or Slave, Grace Beside Me and the Logie-award winning Little J & Big Cuz.

Case Study: Sunshine A commitment to culturally and linguistically diverse programming drives commissioning Sunshine is a 2017 SBS mini-series set in Victoria that explores the hope and heartbreak of a young South- Sudanese man making his way in Australia. It was set against the backdrop of highly publicised reports of youth gangs in the city. Whilst only a quarter of audiences had a positive view of the South-Sudanese community prior to watching the series, almost 60 per cent said they felt more positive about the community in Victoria after watching the series.10 Sunshine also won the AACTA Award for best mini-series. The mini-series featured the work of South-Sudanese film and music video director, producer and writer, Ez Eldin Deng, who worked as Creative Consultant on the series as part of SBS’s Diversity Talent Escalator.11

International distribution and investment in the Australian screen industry remains paramount to the Australian cultural relations. When SBS content, or indeed content from other Australian media outlets, is exported to the world via sales to international platforms, this brings exposure to Australia’s considerable talent, both in front of, and behind, the camera.

9 Available on the SBS website, SBS’s Settlement Guides provide information about topics such as how to enrol to vote in Australian elections, how to access health support services and information about moving to regional Australia. Text-based articles are available and audiences can also subscribe to SBS Settlement Guide podcasts (by way of example, at the time of writing, 95 SBS Settlement Guide podcasts were available to download free from iTunes, with podcasts also available on Soundcloud). 10 The Exchange (an SBS audience research panel), Sunshine In Language Questionnaire, 21/11/17 to 02/01/18. 11 The Diversity Talent Escalator is a national initiative focused on increasing the representation of Australia’s diverse communities within the television production sector. The initiative secured genuine, flexible, on-the-job, paid learning and immersion for emerging screen practitioners from diverse backgrounds. The scheme is a collaboration between SBS, Film Victoria, Create NSW, Screen Queensland, Screen Territory, Screenwest, South Australian Film Corporation and the Tasmanian Government through Screen Tasmania. The Diversity Talent Escalator builds on SBS’s commitment to promoting diversity, to deliver positive outcomes, whilst also contributing to the sector as a whole, and ultimately influencing the way we tell stories.

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Exporting Australian stories in this way also plays a very important role in showcasing Australian culture, which is at the heart of soft diplomacy. SBS digital innovation SBS’s digital storytelling uses innovation and immersive technology to place audiences at the heart of diverse experiences. SBS has a dedicated Digital Creative Labs unit which produces award-winning digital projects, including online documentaries. The multi-award winning My Grandmother’s Lingo is just one example of how this interactive storytelling can build understanding and appreciation across cultures and generations. The Lab enables SBS to broadly adopt digital technology in online projects, enhance its event programming, and build further engagement with SBS audiences.

Case Study: Belongings A multilingual, multi-user digital experience Belongings12 is a 2018 documentary installation produced by SBS in partnership with Google and exhibited for the first time as part of the Biennale of Sydney 2018. The project shares tales of displacement, resilience and hope through the stories of six individuals, all of whom had personal experiences with the global refugee crisis. The work was created through community storytelling workshops where participants were invited to bring an object they fled with. The outcome is an uncut story recorded in one take that reflects the complex journeys those seeking asylum in Australia continue to face when their time in their homeland is cut short. Innovative technology used in the project enables audiences to consume stories in a multi-user, large scale environment using their smartphones as a navigation device. The project was available in seven languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic and Vietnamese.

SBS’s role in education and training It is widely accepted that soft power assets include a nation's educational institutions and capabilities. In 2016, in collaboration with Multicultural NSW and International Education Services, SBS launched the Cultural Competence Program (the CCP).13 This mobile app and online training tool was created to help Australian organisations navigate and maximise the benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace by exploring topics including cross-cultural communication, addressing stereotypes and unconscious bias. The CCP, made up of eight easy-to-use multimedia learning modules, demonstrates SBS’s digital leadership in delivering on its Charter and contributing to a more cohesive Australia by deepening understanding of Australian multiculturalism. The successful CCP program has been licensed by universities including Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) for use among their entire cohort of 90,000 students and is used by staff at both Griffith University and the University of Queensland. The program has

12 https://www.sbs.com.au/feature/belongings 13 https://cultural-competence.com.au/home Page 6 of 9

been translated into Thai for use by Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance PC (KTAXA) Thailand (an entity related to AXA insurance) and SBS is working with the charity The Fred Hollows Foundation to deliver cultural competence training to its domestic and international teams. SBS’s Cultural Atlas was also created in 2016 as a supplementary resource to the CCP.14 It provides a unique opportunity for users to gain a broad understanding of the norms and behaviour that would generally be familiar to people from other cultures. The cultural observations are contextualised with up-to-date statistics about Australia’s migrant populations and information on their trends of arrival and settlement. At a personal level, the Cultural Atlas offers its users the chance to inform their judgements of cross-cultural experiences with a deeper understanding. Google analytics reveals The Cultural Atlas has seen a steady increase in overseas traffic, particularly from the Asia-Pacific region. SBS Learn provides free educational resources for teachers and students, and forms part of the wider SBS Outreach program which aims to extend the reach and impact of SBS and its content.15 SBS achieves this through innovative collaborations and the creation of initiatives and resources that stimulate informal learning, engage communities and provide opportunities for schools to utilise SBS content for education. SBS Learn, launched in November 2015, is an online hub housing all SBS education and outreach initiatives.16

Case Study: Dead Lucky SBS International Student Outreach Dead Lucky is an Australian crime thriller, commissioned for SBS television in 2018. The series, starring Rachel Griffiths and Charlie Fung, is in part inspired by the challenges and experiences of international students and is set against Sydney’s stunning locations. SBS Outreach activities for Dead Lucky focussed on the international student sub-plot in the series. The outreach campaign celebrates the achievements and contributions of international students in Australia, and pursues SBS’s purpose of contributing to a cohesive society. Working with the City of Sydney and Redfern Legal Centre, SBS Outreach produced materials specifically for international students, raising awareness of rights, responsibilities and support services available, and to provide information about settling into Australian campus life. SBS Outreach produced two main assets: Factsheet Available in print and online, this resource aimed to help students with information and key contacts for setting up their lives in Australia. Featuring information about housing, employment, personal safety, health and wellbeing, legal support and translation services, the fact sheet refers to key bodies in Australia. This resource was made available in seven languages: English, Mandarin (simplified Chinese), Hindi, Nepali, Malaysian, Vietnamese, and Portuguese. Video series SBS Outreach created a short video series featuring six students from multiple universities sharing their experiences of life in Australia, and providing advice to incoming international students. SBS Outreach worked with a range of providers to share this resource with students before leaving their home country and travel to

14 https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au 15 https://www.sbs.com.au/learn 16 Examples of SBS Learn materials include: a suite of classroom resources titled The Harmony Game, released to coincide with SBS’s coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM and focused on celebrating diversity through classroom activities inspired by football; and, resources to accompany the recent broadcast of SBS’s Go Back to Where You Came From Live, which focus on the current global refugee crises. Page 7 of 9

study in Australia. The students interviewed are part of current City of Sydney International Student Ambassador Programs, UTS International and Council of International Students Australia (CISA). The resources are hosted on the SBS Learn website and shared on SBS Australia social media as well on SBS Radio in-language website platforms.17

Inspiring diaspora communities DFAT defines diaspora communities in the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper as ‘those composed of people, including migrants and their descendants, who live outside but maintain active connections to their shared country of origin or ancestry.’18 The White Paper acknowledges these communities as important foreign policy partners that help Australia to deepen ties with other countries. Given the challenges facing governments globally to unite diverse communities harmoniously, as the nation’s multicultural public broadcaster, SBS promotes the value of multiculturalism and diversity to all Australians to contribute to social cohesion in Australia. Community consultation is part of the very fabric of SBS’s operating model. In making decisions on content priorities and the delivery of the Charter, SBS engages with audiences and communities in a number of different ways, partnering with our many communities and stakeholders to help tell their important stories and to activate, support and extend our content with key community groups and audiences. Community Advisory Committee Key to SBS’s formal engagement with communities is the SBS Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which is comprised of ten prominent community and business figures from across Australia who provide advice to the SBS Board on community needs and opinions, including the needs and opinions of small or newly arrived ethnic groups, on matters relevant to the SBS Charter. The SBS CAC engages with and discusses the needs, interests and concerns of communities across a variety of social and cultural issues. Members of the CAC are appointed by the SBS Board and the Committee operates in accordance with section 50 of the SBS Act. Community Engagement SBS community engagement extends across all radio language programs—including SBS Radio broadcasters attending events, conducting outside broadcasts at festivals and hosting language-specific community forums. These engagement initiatives aim to both inspire Australia’s many culturally and linguistically diverse communities and to provide content for relevant SBS language programs. To build the reach and impact of SBS programs and services, SBS also holds forums across the country as part of its ‘Inspiring Communities’ program. These events provide valuable opportunities for SBS to hear from, and engage with, stakeholders representing culturally and linguistically diverse communities and First Nations communities in order to develop new opportunities for collaboration and partnership.

17 Key resources are available at https://www.sbs.com.au/learn/deadlucky 18 https://www.fpwhitepaper.gov.au/foreign-policy-white-paper Page 8 of 9

In addition to these measures, SBS also maintains ongoing engagement with key organisations which represent and promote the interests of various communities, including peak bodies such as the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA). Conclusion As a nation built on migration, local storytelling and community engagement are effective soft power assets, and enhance Australia’s position and networks internationally. Through fulfilling our Charter obligations, SBS reflects Australia’s diversity, and in doing so strengthens Australia's reputation in an increasingly networked world. At a time when trust in private and public institutions, including media services, is being threatened globally—including because of concerns about ‘fake news’—SBS’s independent, highly-trusted information, education and entertainment services are more important than ever. The strength of SBS’s output, and its capacity to be a powerful soft power asset, is bolstered by the close connections it has with Australia’s diverse communities, for whom SBS is an essential service. With additional funding, and subject to any necessary adjustments to SBS’s legislative framework to permit SBS to engage in international activities, SBS is very well placed to make an even greater contribution to Australia’s soft power diplomacy.

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