"There are over 120 Australian Government funded Indigenous Broadcasting Services (IBSs) operating in Australia, with further unfunded IBS transmission sites. They vary in size from very small remote services to large community radio broadcasting services, and together, they reach an estimated audience of at least 100,000 Indigenous listeners who listen regularly. The most substantial investment in Indigenous broadcasting is provided by the Culture and Capability Programme under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) which is administered by the Department of the Prime and Minister and Cabinet (PM&C). The purpose of this project was to forecast the return on investment over three years of a very remote, regional and urban IBS by understanding, estimating and valuing their impact on stakeholders. The analysis was verified through broader sector consultation to inform the Australian Government about the breadth and depth of impact likely to occur as a result of their continued investment in IBSs [...] We have identified six key insights from the analyses, explored in detail in section 7 of this report:
1. IBSs provide much more than radio – they are community assets that contribute to strengthening culture, community development and the local economy.
2. The outcomes achieved by IBSs appear consistent but the activities they undertake are varied.
3. The activities IBSs undertake are tailored to the specific needs of the community which helps build trust amongst the community.
4. IBSs are achieving a range of social returns on investment, heavily informed by their context, and value flows to a variety of stakeholder groups.
5. IBSs are contributing towards more of the Government’s priorities than is currently realised.
6. IBSs can leverage government funds to generate additional revenue – and greater impact – but only if they have sufficient resourcing available." (Executive summary, page 4-6)

"The Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology was used to guide the process. SROI is a stakeholder informed process which seeks to tell the story of change and the value of that change from each stakeholder’s perspective." (Page 4)