Abstract
The Whitiam Labor Government founded ethnic radio in June. 1975, initially as a 13-week experiment to be extended for six months to establish it permanently. Three months after the beginning of the second experiment a proposal for the long-term structure for ethnic radio recommending the establishment of an Ethnic Broadcasting Commission (EBC) was announced. But it was never acted upon. The constitutional crisis of October-November 1975 culminating in the Governor General sacking the Whitlam Government, followed by the Fraser Government being installed, changed the direction of ethnic radio.
It took another two years before the conservative coalition Government decided on a permanent structure for ethnic radio. On 1 January, 1978, ethnic radio commenced broadcasting under the auspices of the Special Broadcasting Service.
The proposal to establish an EBC, little known, is considered in its context. Specifically, the EBC would have meant: domination by larger communities, few languages, focus on culturai maintenance, and conflict between conmmunities and directors.
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