PY Media Executive Meeting

Kanpi 28 July 2004

Attending:
Mary Anderson (Anangu Coordinator), Owen Burton (Chair), Dooch (Brian) Deutschmann (Video Manager), Kristine Deutschmann (PY KU Coordinator), Eddie Gooden (IT Training Coordinator), Miranda Muelder (RV Group), Will Rogers (General Manager), David Tafler (Web Master).

Anton Baker (Kanpi), Douglas Baker, Jimmy Baker (for Todd Tjingo), Ronnie Douglas (Amata), Donald Fraser (Kenmore Park), Lois Fraser (Kenmore Park), Imuna Fraser (Kenmore Park), Maxie Kenny (Indulkana), David Miller (Kanpi), Gary Mumu (Imanpa), Jeffrey Mumu (Imanpa), Tony Nelson (Kalka), Peg Nicholls (DCITA), Colin Patti (Kalka), Keith Stevens (Nyapari), John Tragenza (Radio Vision Consultant), Huey Tjami (Mimili), Stanley Young (Kalka), Allison Wing

Agenda

• opening comments from the Chair
• the Director report
• manager reports
• UHF Constitution: John Travenza and Owen Burton
• PY KU Project: Peg Nicholls
• Recording Studio proposal: Maxie Kenny

Meeting

Convened at 2:30 PM.

Mary Anderson read the minutes from the last Committee meeting. Minutes approved and initialled by the Chair.

Mary: We are trying to create a proper procedure. Each meeting begins with a reading of the minutes from the previous meeting.

Owen Burton said that he is happy with the attendance of the Executive and that we will proceed with the agenda items. The General Manager Will Rogers and the Director Donald Fraser and Anangu Coordinator Mary Anderson will give their reports on the work that has been happening with PY Media.

Donald: I would like to ask each project manager to report.

Will: Lots of projects happening. Begin with PY COM project (UHF repeater network, web portal, IT Training – internet and computer – been going for two years now and concludes at the end of August). UHF network will have to finish at the end of August, web portal will have to end at the end of August. IT Training can continue. The project has been successful. Canberra said that PY Media has achieved the best out of the 40-50 million budgeted across Australia. We have placed submissions for more money for IT Training and support for the next couple of years. Video Conferencing – smaller communities did not receive support because of a lack of infra structure. We have installed 76 computers in 18 communities across the Lands in SA and NT. Good training and use of the web page. Internet Centres provide internet access: banking, news stories, family pictures.

Dooch will talk about video and radio. Eddie will talk about IT Training. Funding applied for CPDB (Community Phones Demonstration Project) which will allow phone use in multiple communities - a mobile phone use program. This is being developed with Westie. It will make going into the Community Office unnecessary. It works on a wireless system. It will not work between communities but within communities.

Telstra asked for interest for mobile phone use in Pukatja. There may be a CDMA tower placed in the Pukatja region. This is still speculation.

The I-connect project - South Australia, WA, NT with 900 applications. Problems with Telstra - not delivering phones in SA. Went to the ATA (highest regulatory body in Australia) to complain about Telstra's lack of performance and PY Media won. Telstra must complete phone applications in a timely manner. We should be able to deliver on all of the applications. There's still time to put in an application.

We have Peg Nicholls here to talk about the RTC project.

Mary: Last week we went on the COAG (Council on Australian Governance) meeting up in Cape York. Representatives came from across Australia. Here on the Lands we look only at today and tomorrow. We have to start looking down the road. Mining companies, trust accounts… They are looking at a way of not relying on government money. Social justice, tjilpi, young people developing ways of respecting their elders. They work with the Queensland law. Dave here to put it on web pages.

Donald: Twenty years ago as a Justice of the Peace but people have not been using me. I have done some training as well.

I am going to say a little bit about PY Media. I got sick in between and I put Mr. Burton in to be the Director last June. I stayed one year without working. I have come back and started working and now it is my turn. The internet is there because the people wanted it. You can even have a look at it today, if you want to buy a car. You can buy anything, transport, wheel barrows. It is on night and day. In your community, your internet centre should be open night and day with unrestricted access.

I have to tell you the good and the bad things. On the internet, you can see other people's bank accounts. Many young people have been taking old people's money. This is bad but we have stopped it. The internet was the first thing. Now you see people with small UHF radios. We were asking the government before for big radios. They cost too much money. We decided that we should get small handhelds. You can also get radios for the car. There are many options.

(Stanley Young holds up a small radio. Anupa held up a smaller radio.)

There are also blue poles between communities on the roads. If you are broken down on the road, you can go to these poles and people can hear you from the clinic, from the police. They are there for you. I am back on the job. We want to hear from you what is best for you, what you want.

I-Connect. Owen's advertisement was trying to find a cheaper way for Anangu to have telephones. We tried to make the access number smaller but we are still working on it. Right now it is 31 numbers. ATSIC has gone really hard on everyone in Australia. You tell your MSO and store worker to get phone away cards. Try and help Anangu save their money.

The government is getting harder and harder. Twenty five years ago it was easier. Now Anangu cannot access the telephones in the office. That is why we want phone away cards sold in the shop.

Video Conferencing Units. Video conferencing units are in your communities. We can talk face-to-face with these television. If you cannot make it to a meeting, hook-up and you can be at that meeting through the VC units. Even though the homelands don't have them yet, don't worry they will come. We are working toward that day.

You got to tell this committee what you are doing in your community. We will be able to help you.

Jeffrey Mumu: I am from the Northern Territory. I see people here walking around with the little radios. We would like to have that in our communities as well in the NT. The VCU unit. If I don't have a car, I can sit in and use that unit in Imanpa.

Donald: If we can get national money, we will be able to help you.

Will: It will take awhile. I can talk about the Imanpa video unit. We talked to every community. We talked to the MSO in Imanpa. He said the community does not want. We talked to Margaret who said that we have one in the office that they will not allow us to use because it costs $4/minute. Here it costs us $30/hour, in Imanpa $4/minute. Docker River has access to ISDN line and they have a video conferencing unit. Mutitjulu cost would be $120,000 to extend line from Ranger Station. ISDN lines ot Imanpa would cost over a million dollars. Finke would cost over $3 million. We tried but the price was prohibitive. We will be happy to keep pressing to see if we can develop video conferencing AND UHF possibilities. ISDN goes all the way to the Rock from Port Augusta but not to the communities.

Eddie Gooden: I do the IT Training. I have been here since February. I have fellows working with me. We do thing in the communities with the internet facilities: showing how to do banking, to represent yourself on the news pages. We show people how to navigate through waru.org. Much information there. The whole world is there and there's much to look at. Everybody we come in contact with we talk about how to repair computers, acquire telephone lines. Everybody worried about the money story. The internet facilities do not cost the same as EFTPOS. It is the cheapest way. The internet centres doors are to be open to the community, not a safe house.

Two forms of training. Training fellas to show people how to show people things. Second, to show people how to use the internet. The Web Challenge allows people to build their own information pages on the web.

The last part is the longterm. I am looking to give the trainers full time jobs. The only way to do full time jobs is to learn how to work with computers. Every community can have people up to speed on this. We want people in every community, men and women. Then I pack my bag. We are doing the training and building content for the web pages.

Let's rock and roll the training. Let's rock and roll the computers.

Right now a problem is that many people are playing footie. I am not bringing the laptop into the middle of the oval.

Mary: Another problem is that the MSOs do not permit proper access to the people.

Dooch Deutschmann: We have problem with MSOs everywhere. They claim that we cannot stay because of lack of accommodation. They tell us to move on elsewhere. That is where we need your help to let us into your community. Every school can now do radio. Every school on the Lands can do radio. Fregon does two shows a week. We need other communities to step in there and get on Radio 5NPY. It is also in the NT communities. We need three or four people in each community stepping up to do a show. Mutitjulu is coming up now. We need every community. Not just request show, but radio discussion of problems and news.

We are putting out a lot of DVDs. The first is the Nganangkari Videos. Anangu have DVDs now. We are sending tapes off to Sydney to have DVDs made. We will be selling them on the internet so that people overseas can buy them and PY Media can make money. This one we sell for $55. Today, before you go we have one for each community. We have plenty of inma as well. We have video of UBK#2 for the younger people.

David Miller: We are OK with people on the videos who have passed away.

Dooch: Regarding training, PY Media gets funded for ten communities (six on the AP Lands and four in the NT). We do our best but it is hard with two vehicles. We are trying to reach ten communities at least once every two months. We have three trainers doing radio and video. When someone does a video in the community, we put it up on ICTV (formerly Channel 31) - Indigenous Community television. The big word is "community." That is why we go to the community and do training and get all those people, young video, to do video. In a couple of day's time, ICTV will go 24 hours. Together with PAKAM, Warlpiri, Ngaanyatjarra and PY Media we will fill up the time.

Radio side. The word BRACS is now finished. The money is gone. ATSIS is finished as well. We are now calling them CCCs (Community Communication Centres). We still have the same funding, the same training, we are not slowing down at all. If you know someone in your community who wants to get certified from Bachelor they can get trained as well. Feel free to talk to Eddie's mob as well. We are all one big family.

Miranda Muelder: We are thinking of new ways to do the radio to make it better for everyone. Controlled in Alice Springs office, we can do more things at the same time. For example, Amata school can be on air and someone can record to the Umuwa studio at the same time. We are also going to broadcast UHF radio in the morning. It should be up and running by Christmas time.

Will: According to broadcast law of country, we have to record all radio broadcast. Alice Springs will make that possible. It will also save us money on the feed from $20,000 to $4,000.

Miranda: If you are in Umuwa we can put you on the air to talk about issues.

Will: You can talk via phone lines from anywhere on the Lands.

John Tregenza: Good afternoon. I am working for ten weeks. First thing that we have to do is to do develop a radio policy for Radio 5NPY. Owen and I are working in the communities. I am going around this time to talk to the people. We have Radio 5NPY policy and ABA policy to resolve. In the communities, we have heard that people always want to hear the news about what is going on. One old man in Kalka said it is as if we are blind. We want to hear on the radio what is happening on the Lands. I will outline the things that people want.

1. APY Executive, Health, Education, all the big organisations to broadcast their meetings.
2. All decisions to be known by everyone.
3. Regular radio interviews with Chairperson and other Executive members by Anangu in all communities
4. Talk back radio and interviews.
5. Replay after meetings so that workers and others can hear.

Good news, work news, football carnivals, everything should be heard. Community council meetings should not necessarily be broadcast because of privacy issues but there should be a summary broadcast.

Cars going around like flies. Monday should carry what is going on during the week. It might mean a new position for PY Media.

Will: People can ring up from communities and from outside communities in Adelaide, for example.

John: The other part of the work that I have been doing is about work and employment.

If you are putting UHF CB on the broadcast, you cannot swear, you cannot libel someone according to the laws of Australia. You must think about rules for CB radio. Other radio stations have a five second delay to allow for bleeping offensive speech. Other work for PY Media to think about. Some work there for Anangu who know broadcast rules. Each community has the license. Each community must be careful.

Owen: Reviewed the major points that John made during his presentation.

Stanley Young: Can I use the small radio to talk to a big meeting?

Will: Yes, but not at the moment. We are working on it.

John: With that little radio, you can stay at home and still join in.

Donald: Affirmed the use of small radio to allow participation from home.

Douglas Baker: Talked about using the television. In the BRACS system, EVTV used to broadcast locally. I would like to see that again where a community can put on tape locally.

Dooch: Imparja is saying that you can have ICTV 24 hours. We ask each community what times they would like to have the ICTV on. You can send your local tapes, and we will put it up on ICTV.

Douglas: satellite phone?

Will: Satellite phones are still being subsidized at $1000 off a phone and reduction in per minute rates. CDMA may offer a cheaper alternative.

One other way that we can use radio for meetings. Now we can hook up ten or more people hooked up on the same line.

Keith Stevens: I am happy to hear that the new technologies are in place today.

Will: It will keep on getting better with good support from communities. If you agree with what we are doing and we send out a letter of support, it will be good if the chair and committee can sign it. Canberra likes to see people's signatures.

John: Reaffirmed the need for community support. Watarru was the first to sign some necessary forms. Then we can put them in to back up the argument.

I have one more issue - the constitution. Ruth Morley version is pretty good, but there are still questions. Need to think about members list. Now, everybody are members. That may not be permissible under the Aboriginal incorporation act. You may have to compile a members list. Another issue is how you select your executive. You may have to elect from AGM, or in the one from Ruth Morley, the AGM nominates. There are different ways and think about it.

Mary: The Committee has to sit down and decide.

Will: Does the Committee want to convene and discuss the constitution?

John: Next time the Committee meets, you can get a lawyer to sit down and make recommendations. The Constitution says that you are there to provide news. Only APY, Crafts, and PYEC are left.

Motion: The Committee endorses the request from member communities for the programming of regular news and information broadcasts from the regional and local Anangu organisations as per attachment.

Moved by Jeffrey Mumu
Seconded by Stanley Young

Discussion

The motion was passed unanimously.

Maxie Kenny: We would like to do recording in Umuwa. Many musicians are complaining that it costs too much to go to Alice Springs and would like a facility for recording in Umuwa.

Motion: The Committee endorses PY Media applies for funding to install a recording studio in Umuwa.

Moved by Maxie Kenny Seconded by Allison Wing

The motion was passed unanimously.

Peg Nicholls: I am working with the COAG team in Adelaide. Mary spoke to you earlier about the meeting in Cape York. Here on the Lands we have two programs: one is the store policy and the other is the RTC.

I think most of you know about PY KU and RTC. At least two years ago, two men (Calvin Crow) went around to the communities talking about these programs. I went around last year. The message that we received is that you want RTCs, banking, electronic registration, paying of fines… We need to go to a lot of government and non-government organisations for support for infrastructure. We have received lots of support to help us set-up PY KU. We have agreement from Centrelink to provide Centrelink services through PY KU. We have agreement from ATSIS to use CDEP money until we can afford really good wages. We have agreement from SA government to use person who is already coming in to deal with registrations, such as birth certificates, licensing. We have recently received funding from COAG to manage the project and coordinate the training. We have been trying hard to bring in banking but that is very hard. That will require considerable additional work. One of the biggest bits of funding is the funding to build the buildings. We are hoping to hear something very soon on that and we have our fingers crossed. It went to the Minister two weeks ago. We have asked for seven buildings in seven communities: Iwantja, Fregon, Mimili, Pukatja, Amata, Watarru and one in Pipalyatjarra or Kalka. If we don't get the money to build the buildings we will still provide the services. We have lots of cooperation from communities.

PY Media is most important because we cannot make it work without the communication infrastructure and support (internet and video conferencing).

We would also like to hire out space for visiting government people.

We will like to place the centres where the councils requested if we have the resources. Some of the buildings would be new and others would be additions. In Indulkana, the RTC would be in the empty building near the TAFE. In Mimili, it would be a new building in one of three proposed sites. In Fregon, they have picked a site between the clinic and the old bakery. The old store is structurally unsound. In Pukatja, the old hospital would be used. It is already being fixed up. In Amata, it will be an addition to the new office. In Watarru, it will be a small building just across from their council office. Again, we still don't have the money for the buildings yet. We have to talk about Kalka and Pipalyatjara some more.

David Miller: Instead of waiting for the new building, lets start our initiatives so the government can see.

Peg: The government was happy when we placed our submission that we were beginning to look at many options.

One more thing, now that we are putting it all together we need many people to make this work. We need to keep communities informed. We hope that the PY Media committee can go out and talk to communities, to support the project on the ground.

Donald: Owen and I are council members of Pukatja. We never had any complaints except from the MSO.

Owen, Mary, Will: Next meeting scheduled for Imanpa in the middle of September. We will discuss the constitution at the end of August in a meeting in Alice Springs.

Meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
David Tafler