The government has opposed a full relocation of SBS from Artarmon to Western Sydney, opting instead to invest in additional production hubs to expand the station’s news and current affairs, multilingual audio services and screen production. did.
SBS will begin work in early 2025 to explore options for production facilities in Western Sydney, which will include a TV studio to host live audiences, a radio/podcasting booth, collaboration space for talent development and support for production output. The plan is to include a small workspace.
The broadcaster will work with local councils, educational institutions, business and economic development bodies in the area to drive the project, which is subject to the completion of a business case.
The hub will enable SBS to deliver approximately 360 hours of new Australian first broadcast content per year and 1,440 hours of original audio and podcast content, including multilingual content, as announced by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland. .
This comes after the government last year commissioned a feasibility study to move SBS from its Artarmon headquarters to western Sydney, but that option has now been shelved due to “significant costs”.
In a statement, Rowland thanked the SBS board and management team for proposing an alternative project.
“SBS connects with multilingual, multicultural and Indigenous communities, including Western Sydney, and is essential to bringing diverse voices to Australian audiences,” she said.
“The Albanon Government is committed to growing and supporting SBS and ensuring its unique values benefit all Australians.”
SBS chairman George Savvides said the expansion of SBS’s storytelling capabilities and infrastructure ties in well with the station’s 50th anniversary next year.
“When SBS creates content in collaboration with communities, particularly those who are underrepresented in Australian media, those communities feel more included,” he said.
“The SBS Board has an opportunity to embed SBS in Western Sydney, through community access to trusted and impartial media and greater opportunities for communities to participate in our diverse storytelling. We welcome the opportunity to continue expanding SBS’s contribution to social cohesion.”
Fellow public broadcaster ABC achieved another milestone with its own Western Sydney project over the weekend, with ABC NEWS broadcasting the NSW 7pm news bulletin from Parramatta Studios on Sunday.
ABC Parramatta – located at 6-8 Parramatta Square – will be home to ABC Sydney, ABC News and ABC RN as part of a five-year plan to have 75% of content makers working out of Ultimo’s headquarters by 2025. It will accommodate presenters and journalists. .
