SBS and NITV announce new music, documentary, news and current affairs programming ahead of referendum vote
- On 14 October The Point: Australia Decides will deliver rolling results coverage from 7.30pm on NITV and SBS.
- SBS World News will also be simulcast on SBS and NITV at 6.30pm and 9.30pm on the evening of the referendum, with Anton Enus joined by Natalie Ahmat providing the latest polling updates, along with SBS News’ rolling coverage across digital platforms throughout the day.
- New music program Sounds of Solidarity celebrates the powerful and enduring legacy of First Nations music and cultures, interspersed with news updates on NITV from 12.30pm on 14 October.
- Award-winning journalist Karla Grant presents special episodes of Insight and Living Black.
- SBS News in Arabic to present referendum special program with studio audience.
- SBS’s network-wide offering includes continued comprehensive coverage across NITV News, SBS News and SBS Audio in more than 60 languages, across TV, audio and online.
With only days remaining until the day of the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, SBS and NITV will feature more opportunities for Australians to ensure they are informed before they vote, with extensive multiplatform and multilingual news and information rolling out across the network.
Alongside new programming added to the network’s line-up in the lead up to the 14 October, there will be comprehensive and insightful rolling news from NITV and SBS on referendum day, in addition to analysis and insights following a result.
Newly announced content includes an insightful one-hour documentary Our Voice, Our Heart, premiering tonight (3 October) on NITV at 8.30pm. Filmed this year, two First Nations men living in Darwin embark on a national journey to engage with communities and Elders to learn more about the referendum.
The Point: Referendum Road Trip continues, with the season’s remaining episodes filmed live in studio on Cammeraygal Country. Tonight (3 October) Your Referendum Questions Answered features an expert panel of Rachel Perkins (Co-Chair, Yes23), Tarneen Onus-Williams (Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance), Amar Singh (President, Turbans 4 Australia) and Shirleen Campbell (Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group) answering questions from a live studio audience, airing at 7.30pm on NITV and SBS.
As Australians vote on 14 October, NITV and SBS will continue to provide their distinctive coverage keeping audiences up to date on the latest news and developments. On the night of the vote, a two-hour live program The Point: Australia Decides will simulcast on NITV and SBS at 7.30pm featuring a panel of guests, live crosses to journalists in every state and territory, a recap of The Point referendum’s 36,000km road trip across the country this year, and live analysis and breaking news of the referendum count as all eligible Australians make their decision on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice enshrined in the Constitution. SBS World News will also simulcast on SBS and NITV at 6.30pm and 9.30pm, presented by SBS World News presenter Anton Enus, and NITV News presenter, Natalie Ahmat.
Remaining episodes of The Point for the 2023 season will premiere weekly on Tuesdays, with the final episode for the year on NITV on Tuesday 24 October at 7.30pm, exploring the next steps in the wake of the result, and where to from here in terms of progressing outcomes for First Nations peoples.
Also on referendum day, from 12.30pm, NITV presents Sounds of Solidarity, a special six-hour music program offering songs and news in partnership with Triple A Murri Country. Iconic music videos from the NITV vault will be interspersed with news updates from polling booths and community gatherings across the nation. The music videos include hits from artists such as Yothu Yindi, Warumpi Band and Christine Anu, as well as new generation performers – BAARKA, Budjerah,King Stingray and more.
Tanya Denning-Orman, a proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman and Director of Indigenous Content at SBS, said: “October 14 represents a critical moment in Australia’s history, and across the SBS network we’re focused on ensuring all Australians have the information they need before they vote – whatever you decide, be sure you’re making an informed decision.
“At the heart of our plans for the days ahead continues to be ensuring the voices and perspectives from First Nations communities across the continent are heard, and that Australians have the opportunity to connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories and cultures through diverse programming beyond our news and current affairs coverage.
“As a part of that, we’re excited to announce Sounds of Solidarity – an incredible music showcase on NITV that will inspire all Australians, celebrating the power of Blak excellence through music and culture, while also providing a safe space for mob on referendum day.”
Referendum-related content highlights across the network include:
REFERENDUM DAY, SATURDAY 14 OCTOBER:
Sounds of Solidarity
12.30pm on NITV
Filmed in Brisbane on the Triple A Murri Country (98.9 FM) balcony as part of a co-production partnership with BIMA (Brisbane Indigenous Media Association), Sounds of Solidarity showcases a range of music genres, from contemporary pop and rock to traditional Indigenous music, hip hop, and electronic beats.
NITV is unearthing the best performances broadcast over the years as well as some of the greatest hits of all time, interspersed with regular referendum news updates.
The six-hour program incorporates interviews to explore the social, political, and cultural context in which Indigenous music is created. Viewers will learn about the ongoing struggles and triumphs of First Nations peoples and the role of music in the Australian cultural landscape.
SBS World News
6.30pm on SBS and NITV
With live, coast to coast coverage, Anton Enus and Natalie Ahmat report the news of the day as the first Australian states and territories begin counting referendum votes as polls close.
The Point: Australia Decides
7.30-9.30pm on NITV and SBS, and on SBS On Demand.
Join hosts, proud Wuthathi and Meriam man John Paul Janke and Whadjuk Noongar woman Narelda Jacobs, and a team of experts, in this two-hour episode as Australia decides whether to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia’s Constitution through a Voice to Parliament.
SBS World News
9.30pm on SBS and NITV
In the second edition on referendum night, Anton Enus and Natalie Ahmat bring viewers up to date in real time on the referendum, featuring the expertise of the team from The Point along with a network of reporters around the country.
SBS News digital
Throughout the day, SBS News will be delivering rolling coverage across its digital platforms, including a live blog and updated vote tallies every 90 seconds on the SBS News website and on the SBS News app, as well as live streams of key moments.
PROGRAMMING IN THE LEAD UP TO THE REFERENDUM:
Our Voice, Our Heart
Tuesday 3 October, 8.30pm on NITV and SBS On Demand.
Two First Nations men, Jaxon De Santis and Justin Grant, explore a vision for a better future and how to get there, the history of Indigenous Australians and their relationship with the Australian government, as well as the current state of Indigenous rights and recognition in this documentary regarding the upcoming referendum.
Through their journey, they hope to inspire a national conversation about the importance of voting with knowledge and conviction, and to help all Australians grow their knowledge before they vote on this crucial issue.
The Point: Your Referendum Questions Answered
Tuesday 3 October, live on NITV and SBS at 7.30pm.
Featuring a studio audience of everyday Australians and a panel of experts alongside weekly hosts of The Point, Narelda Jacobs and John Paul Janke, this episode showcases stories from Alice Springs (Mparntwe). The Northern Territory has been in the media glare during the referendum campaign and in this episode, audiences will hear from the NT community about what an Indigenous Voice to Parliament could do for them.
The Point: Referendum Countdown
Tuesday 10 October, live on NITV at 7.30pm.
Encoring on SBS at 10.30pm. With just days left until the crucial vote, a panel of key players including No campaigner Nyunggai Warren Mundine and Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo join hosts Narelda and John Paul live in studio to discuss all the latest developments and biggest moments of the referendum campaign.
Insight
Tuesday 10 October at 8.30pm on SBS, NITV and SBS On Demand
In this episode, Your Voice. Your Vote., Walkley award-winning journalist and Living Black Executive Producer Karla Grant asks Australians how they will vote in the referendum and what discussions they’re having with friends, family and colleagues. This special referendum episode looks at the differing personal opinions of a variety of everyday Australians.
SBS News in Arabic – Referendum Special
Thursday 12 October at 8pm on SBS World Watch, SBS On Demand, YouTube and Facebook
Presented by SBS Arabic TV News Presenter Ali Bahnasawy, this special program recorded in studio brings together an audience of Arabic-speaking Australians for a townhall discussion exploring perspectives from community members about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and featuring representatives from the yes and no campaigns answering questions.
SBS Audio
Across SBS Audio’s more than 60 language programs, the perspectives of multicultural communities are continuing to be explored. On 5 October, SBS Audio teams will be on the ground to hear from people about their views, concerns and questions to be answered in Chatswood Mall in Sydney and Federation Square in Melbourne.
PROGRAMMING FOLLOWING THE REFERENDUM
Living Black
Monday 16 October on NITV at 8.30pm.
In 2017, the Uluru Statement’s key proposal of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament was famously rejected by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying that it was “neither desirable nor capable of winning acceptance at a referendum”. So how has Australia found itself going to the polls on a referendum that was “never meant to happen”? Living Black takes a look back at how we got to this historic point for the nation and hears from some of the key Indigenous figures involved.
The Point: Referendum Road Trip – Aftermath
Tuesday 17 October. Live on NITV and SBS at 7.30pm.
A few days after the referendum, join Narelda, John Paul and a panel of experts to unpack what is known of the result and the implications for Australia.
Tuesday 24 October. Live on NITV at 7.30pm.
In the final episode of the year, Narelda, John Paul and special guests discuss the aftermath of the referendum result and recap the biggest moments of 2023.
Referendum-related content available to stream on SBS on Demand:
Dateline: The Sámi Voice hosted by Karla Grant.
You Can Go Now starring Richard Bell.
Rebel with a Cause featuring Senator Neville Bonner, magistrate Pat O’Shane, poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal (also known as Kath Walker) and media icon Tiga Bayles. Airing weekly on Sundays at 9.10pm on NITV and SBS and also available in full on SBS On Demand.
Stay informed on the 2023 Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum from across the SBS Network, including First Nations perspectives through NITV. Visit the SBS Voice Referendum portal at sbs.com.au/VoiceReferendum to access articles, videos and podcasts in over 60 languages including Auslan, or stream the latest news and analysis, docos and entertainment for free, at the Voice Referendum hub on SBS On Demand.
For screeners and images, please visit our SBS Screening Room.
For a PDF of this media release, click here.