Workshop attracts leading figures in Indonesian and Australian media regulation area

Feb 01, 2007

A two-day workshop is being held at the University of Wollongong on 31 January and 1 February focusing on a review of the first three years of operation of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI).

The Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies (CAPSTRANS) at the University of Wollongong and the International Centre of Excellence in Asia-Pacific Studies (ICEAPS) at the Australian National University are hosting the workshop.

Participants include representatives from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission in Jakarta and North Sumatra; private sector television stations in Jakarta and Surabaya; non-government organisations in Indonesia concerned with media policy, law and development; the Deputy Chair of the Australian Communication and Media Authority, Ms Lyn Maddock; and Ms Eneng Faridah from the Malaysian Multimedia Commission.

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission has faced numerous administrative and political challenges during its first term in office from 2004-2006. Participants are sharing their reflections on the Commission’s first three years of operation and considing the policy, organisational, cultural and political lessons that can be derived from this foundation period.

Basic aims of the workshop are:

• To provide an opportunity to meet and network with leading figures in the Indonesian and Australian media regulation environment

• To give scholarly attention to the achievements and challenges faced by the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission in its first term of office

• To promote collaboration between members of the broadcasting authorities in Australia and Indonesia, while considering key issues in relation to the Commission

• To provide Australian and Indonesian students with access to leading researchers and figures in the media regulation environments of both countries

The workshop has been convened by Professor Philip Kitley (Professor of Communication and Head of the School of Social Science, Media and Communication) who is the author of Television, Nation and Culture in Indonesia and Television, Regulation and Civil Society in Asia.