Perth’s aboriginal radio station WAAMA, also known as 6AR, has had its licence cancelled after many months of difficulty about format changes, membership infighting and the sale of its property from out from under the station.

ACMA cancelled the community radio licence held by the Western Australian Aboriginal Media Association (WAAMA) after many months of difficulty with the station, that began with a change of format to country music and accusations that the station had deserted its aboriginal content obligations. In May this year ACMA found the station had breached its licence conditions. ACMA imposed additional conditions on 22 June, requiring it to provide “a compliance plan to ACMA by the end of July, but WAAMA failed to meet this requirement by the due date.

The station stopped broadcasting last month (1 September) with WAAMA’s Chair, Iva Hayward Jackson, indicating to ACMA that WAAMA would not surrender its licence. Around that time staff were sacked and the station’s building and land were reportedly sold to private interests.

As a result of WAAMA’s continuing non-compliance, ACMA issued a written notice to WAAMA on 8 September 2006 but did not receive a satisfactory response by the due date of 15 September 2006 on why ACMA should not suspend or cancel the licence.

ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman says the decision to cancel the licence “is not one that has been taken lightly.”

“We had worked very hard with WAAMA to ensure it reflected the listening needs of Perth’s indigenous population. This included imposing additional licence conditions.”

ACMA has not decided what it will do with the frequency that has been freed up as a result of its decision.

WAAMA has been broadcasting since 1992 on FM 100.9, to represent the Perth Aboriginal community and to promote awareness of Aboriginal issues in the wider community. When it changed its format it dropped the 6AR callsign and became known as 100.9 FM.

ACMA (then the ABA) began its first investigations into the station in April 2005.