Radio Prominence

Accessing radio in new cars is getting harder, putting Australia’s unique connection with radio at risk. We rely on radio for news, community, and emergency updates - especially in remote and regional areas.

Radio has long been the most reliable form of communication in emergencies. During Cyclone Alfred earlier this year, Australians turned to radio for vital updates, just as they did during the 2019–2020 bushfires, when mobile networks and power grids failed, but radio continued to broadcast life-saving information.

Without urgent laws to secure radio’s place in cars and on smart speakers, millions could lose free and easy access to local radio, endangering Australia’s only 100% locally owned mass medium.

CRA recently invested in upgrading the industry’s unified consumer app, RadioApp, which relaunched today with an enhanced user experience.

Moving forward, protecting radio as a priority costs nothing, and the solution is simple. The entire radio sector - commercial, ABC, SBS and community broadcasters – are united in calling for:

• Prominent one-button access to Australian radio - AM, FM, DAB+ receivers and streaming audio - in all cars
• Guaranteed availability and discoverability on smart speakers
• Reliable verbal access to Australian radio services via voice assistants