Business of Media
Balnaves Foundation pledges over $500k to NIDA’s First Nations program
NIDA has announced The Balnaves Foundation as the principal patron of its First Nations program, with a donation of $530,000. This philanthropic commitment from the Foundation will enable NIDA to welcome more First Nations students and encourage and support them through their journey and study at NIDA.
The program includes three significant $90,000 Bachelor of Fine Arts scholarships for First Nations students, three 6-month paid internships, and funding for NIDA’s first Indigenous Elder in Residence over a six-year period.
This First Nations Scholarship will provide $30,000 per annum for three years, for three First Nations students one starting in 2022 and another in 2023 and 2024.
The student will also be matched with a First Nations Arts Industry mentor, support them with additional travel to home as required and provide an On Country experience during studies.
As a pathway into employment, the scholarships will conclude with a six-month paid industry internship for each of the recipients at the successful conclusion of their study at NIDA.
Hamish Balnaves
In addition to the scholarship program, and as part of the overall contribution to NIDA, the Foundation will also provide funding to enable an Indigenous Elder in Residence to offer wellbeing support and mentorship to all First Nations students.
NIDA CEO Liz Hughes said: “We are hugely grateful for the generous support and collaboration of The Balnaves Foundation in creating this important next step in NIDA’s First Nations commitment and enabling more creative First Nations artists to undertake intensive learning, creative productions, be networked with industry partners, commence their employment, and at the same time have the mentorship of an Elder in Residence.”
The Balnaves Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation established in 2006 by Neil Balnaves. Hamish Balnaves (son of Neil and Diane Balnaves) is CEO of the Foundation.
For over 15 years the Foundation has supported a diverse range of organisations with the aim to create a better Australia through education, medicine and the arts with a focus on young people, the disadvantaged and indigenous Australia.
For more information on The Balnaves Foundation go to www.balnavesfoundation.com
News Brands
Welcome to World News Day: September 28, 2021
Victor Garber, the actor known for a number of film roles including in Titanic and Argo, and Farah Nasser, a Canadian news anchor, will host World News Day: The Climate Crisis starting later today Australian time.
The fourth World News Day will feature a virtual event on September 28 highlighting the vital role journalism plays in providing the public with facts about the climate emergency.
World News Day celebrates the power of journalism to effect change. It is presented by The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) and the World Editors Forum (WEF), the network for editors within the World Association of News Publishers.
The principal sponsor of World News Day is the Google News Initiative.
World News Day 2021 will serve as an important means of driving public conversation about the climate emergency and its impact, and draw attention to the importance of global fact-based journalism in reporting on this critical issue.
The flagship virtual event will showcase journalism from around the world, highlighting regional climate change issues, activism and solutions.
The 75-minute event is free, open to a global audience and available in all time zones on September 28.
Featured coverage includes the flooding and wildfires experienced in different regions this past year, the impact of climate change on wildlife, how lockdown affected carbon emissions, examples of youth activism and more.
Journalism from the following news organisations will be featured: Al Jazeera English, BBC, CBC News, Deutsche Welle, Global News, the Guardian, The New Yorker, Reuters, The Sacramento Bee, The Straits Times, South China Morning Post, Thomson Reuters Foundation and Univision.
In addition to the virtual event, World News Day 2021 also includes a global initiative of more than 300 newsrooms that aims to highlight the importance of reliable, fact-based information in a healthy democracy.
Watch the World News Day YouTube channel.
The Age launches independent schools website hub
The Age has launched a hub on its website containing sponsored content, that puts a spotlight on Victorian Independent schools to help parents find an education that best aligns with their child’s needs.
After a successful launch of NSW Independent Schools by The Sydney Morning Herald, the Victorian hub of Independent Schools 2021 launched on Monday. It is a hub that allows parents to research Independent schools across Victoria using a search function filtered by gender, geography, religious denomination and boarding.
There is a wide range of priorities that will influence parents’ decision-making when it comes to choosing a school for their child. The education hub will contain custom pages on each school, showcasing the benefits of that education facility and what they have to offer, helping to make what can be a difficult decision clearer.
Specific co-curricular or extra-curricular opportunities can be a drawcard; also, whether the International Baccalaureate curriculum is available. An added dimension is whether a child is a candidate for enrolling in early-learning, junior school or high school.
Housing information about Independent schools in one place, the hub will contain sponsored content articles tailored for families considering sending their child to an independent school, and covering contemporary issues around the education sector. The hub will also contain enquiry forums that link directly to schools, videos and more allowing the users to learn more about schools.
Entertainment
Standing ovation for Moulin Rouge’s record Tony Awards haul
Moulin Rouge! The Musical has dominated the Tony Awards with 10 wins from 14 nominations in New York, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
As the event returned to full flight after the reopening of Broadway, the jewel in the haul was the nod for Best Musical.
Based on Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Australian film, Moulin Rouge! is the first Australian-produced musical to originate on Broadway.
“It’s such an honour and a thrill to be able to bring fellow Aussies Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin’s epic and beloved masterpiece to the stage,’’ said Carmen Pavlovic, CEO of Global Creatures and Producer of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, in accepting the Best Musical award.
Publishing
Gourmet Traveller announces the finalists in the 2022 Restaurant Awards
The Gourmet Traveller team has uncovered the best restaurants around the country to bring the finalists for the 2022 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards in the October issue of Gourmet Traveller, on sale Monday.
Due to ongoing restrictions, The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Award winners will be announced via a virtual announcement on October 24, with the awards’ dinner at Melbourne’s Gimlet postponed until early 2022.
“The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards have always been about celebrating the best in Australian dining and uncovering exciting new experiences for our readers to explore in the year ahead. It is testament to both the creativity and resilience of the industry that new venues have continued to open since March last year, offering new and exceptional experiences. Lockdowns may pause physical progress but, time has proven, they can spark even brighter, bolder plans,” says Gourmet Traveller editor, Joanna Hunkin (pictured).
Finalists have been announced in five categories: Best New Restaurant, Best Wine Bar, Best New Talent, Restaurant Personality of the Year and Best Destination Dining.
The Restaurant of the Year award will be announced live on October 24, along with the peer-voted Chef of the Year, recognising a single chef for their contribution to Australian dining.
Radio
Oztober returns to Triple M with The Great Aussie Songbook
Triple M’s Oztober is back for 2021 with The Great Australian Songbook. With live gigs across the country still not possible, Triple M will turn its support of Aussie music up to 11 across the month of October. Through Oztober Triple M will put the call out to artists and listeners to help celebrate all things Australian music, culminating with the ultimate list of those iconic songs that have shaped our music history.
In partnership with naming rights sponsor Barbeques Galore, all month, the Triple M rock brethren, and a roll call of Aussie and international artists, will have their say on what they think the best Australian songs of all time are. In addition to The Great Australian Songbook, new rock added for the month of October will be Australian.
Listeners will hear from local and international artists who will share what it is about their nominated track that makes it the best Australian song of all time. Triple M will also showcase the best Australian acoustic covers across the workday and on Friday October 29 The Great Australian Songbook will be played out in full across the day.
Television
ABC’s airing of allegations in Juanita Nielsen case “never happened”
The author of a definitive account of the 1975 disappearance of Sydney activist Juanita Nielsen says the ABC has been “duped” by “preposterous” claims that an undercover sting had found her murderer, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
Peter Rees, who has followed the cold case for decades and authored Killing Juanita – the winner of the 2004 Ned Kelly Award for True Crime – said the lawyer who made the claim was a minor figure in the matter whose allegations had been refuted by police more than 30 years earlier.
The ABC late last week removed a miniseries investigating the murder of Nielsen – the founder of alternative newspaper NOW – from its streaming platform after it said new information had emerged that cast serious doubt on those claims.
The program, Juanita: A Family Mystery, broadcast claims from retired lawyer John Innes that he was placed in Long Bay Gaol as an undercover investigator in an attempt to extract information from Eddie Trigg, an associate of Sydney crime figure Abe Saffron.
Nathan Buckley could be headed to compete on I’m a Celebrity
AFL legend Nathan Buckley is tipped to be appearing on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
It’s been suggested the decorated player turned coach, 49, is the latest star who was part of the show that recently wrapped filming in New South Wales.
The father of two is said to be joining former NRL player Beau Ryan as a contestant in the jungle on the Channel 10 show, with a teaser pointing to an AFL legend.
Neighbours gets new UK timeslot
Neighbours is getting a new timeslot in the UK as Channel 5 -its first change in 13 years, reports TV Tonight.
It currently screens twice-daily at 1.45pm every weekday, with a repeat screening at 5.30pm.
With a one hour news coming to 5pm, the repeat will move to 6pm in coming weeks.
In Australia the show recently pulled back to 4 nights a week, Monday – Thursday on 10 Peach, with sources indicating it was to bring episodes in line with British broadcasts.