Road safety in remote First Nations communities

January 13, 2017

Three Indigenous broadcasters against background printed with 18th National Remote Indigenous Media Festival. Holding a certificate and an award.

Our support of community media improves the health and wellbeing of Australians.  For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, road safety in remote and regional areas is particularly important, with Indigenous Australians experiencing a high incidence* of road fatalities.

We partnered with the Northern Territory Government and remote broadcasters PAW Media and CAAMA to produce programs and announcements about road safety. The radio shows were an engaging mix of interviews, specially written and produced music and songs (such as a very catchy tune called ‘Buckle Up’) and stories.  These were produced in a mix of English and in Warlpri.

CAAMA produced a series of interviews for the Brothers, Kungkas and Strong Voices programs with:

  • Crash survivors discussing how incidences had impacted their lives
  • Community organisations focusing on the broader impact to the community
  • Members from the Ambulance Services and Northern Territory Emergency Services addressing the importance of road safety and the impact on attending members
  • Police sharing safety messages
  • Respected local broadcasters reinforcing the importance of road safety
  • Special focus on women, the importance of road safety and how to be road safe

CAAMA also produced a range of Community Service Announcements.  These were produced in English, Warlpiri, Pitji, Western Aranda and Eastern Arrernte.

We welcome you to explore Our Stories to learn more about our work with First Nations peoples, our support of Reconciliation and how we are committed to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

*Road Safety Among Indigenous Australians: A Statistical Profile, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (2006).

Chloe James, Warrick Williams and Teghan Hughes accept the IRCA Best Radio Doco Award on behalf of PAW Media for the Road Safety project (photo: First Nations Media Australia).