Great news for radio listeners and Pacific communities across Australia: ABC Radio Australia has launched on DAB+ digital radio, making it available for the first time on digital radio sets in Australian capital cities, the Gold Coast, and Launceston.
The service delivers 24-hour programming including Pacific-focused news and current affairs, music, sport, and cultural storytelling — reflecting life, culture, and conversations from countries including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Northern Pacific.
For the over 400,000 Australians with Pacific heritage, and for anyone interested in our region, this is a meaningful step forward. ABC Director Audio, Ben Latimer, described the launch as being about meeting audiences where they are and deepening connections with Pacific communities, with the service helping more people engage with trusted Pacific news, culture, and storytelling - in the car, at home, and in everyday life.
To tune in, you simply scan for DAB+ stations on your digital radio and search for "ABC Radio Australia" by name. If it doesn't appear straight away, you may need to re-tune your radio first. The service is also available via the ABC listen app.
A public broadcaster for all Australians
This is genuinely welcome news, and ABC Friends celebrates every expansion of ABC services reaching more Australians. But it also prompts us to reflect on a broader challenge.
All Australians, whether they live in urban, rural, regional, or remote areas, should have access to our national broadcaster. Yet in some parts of the country, getting a decent signal remains difficult or even impossible. As the ABC itself acknowledges, DAB+ digital radio is currently available only in Australian capital cities, the Gold Coast, and Launceston, and the ABC is unable to expand that coverage until the Federal Government amends the relevant legislation. Australians in regional and rural communities are being left behind when it comes to the digital rollout.
That being said, a shift to digital services must not remove access for people without digital devices. Those who are most economically disadvantaged, and those living in isolated communities, would be hardest hit if the ABC became accessible only via digital platforms.
ABC Friends calls for additional funding to ensure that high-quality ABC services can be received by all Australians, on all platforms, right across the country.
Keeping Australians safe in a crisis
Lack of a signal - digital or analogue - doesn't just mean missing your favourite program, it leaves Australians vulnerable during emergencies. ABC Radio is often the most trusted and accessible source of life-saving information in times of crisis. That's why ABC Friends is also calling on the Government to fully fund the ABC's emergency broadcasting service through a supplementary fund dedicated to keeping Australians safe in times of crisis. Emergency broadcasting must be treated as essential infrastructure and not an afterthought in budget considerations.
You can help
The ABC's international broadcasting capacity — including ABC Radio Australia and its vital role across the Pacific — depends on adequate government funding. The ABC's Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy needs ongoing support to maintain and expand this work.
Please take action here — it takes just a moment and makes a real difference.
The launch of ABC Radio Australia on DAB+ is a step in the right direction. Let's make sure it's followed by the investment needed to bring quality ABC services to every Australian, wherever they call home.
Phil Evans
Communications
ABC Friends