About Speaking Out

Culture, lifestyle and political issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia.

History

On July 1 1990, Speaking Out went to air for the first time making it the first program of its kind, a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs show produced and presented by Indigenous broadcasters.

The original broadcasters included Wayne Coolwell, Joel Wright and Aaron Ross who guided Speaking Out in its early beginnings as a half-hour show broadcast on Sunday evenings from 6:30pm on ABC Local Radio’s metropolitan and regional stations.

Since its very first program Speaking Out has covered a range of topical issues like the controversy over Marlo Morgan’s Mutant Message Down Under and the historic Mabo judgement and profiled well-known and emerging Indigenous activists, performers, artists and actors. It has also produced a language series promoting the survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

Today Speaking Out is a regular feature of ABC Local Radio’s Sunday night line-up and airs between 9:30pm and 10pm.

Behind the scenes

Karen Dorante - Presenter

When you ask Karen Dorante where home is, the answer is Hammond Island, a small island community in the Torres Strait.

She’s a Wagadagam/Meriam woman whose interest in media developed in her final senior years when the Torres Strait Islander Media Association started broadcasting locally made Indigenous programs in the 1980s.

Karen worked as a cook, office clerk, volunteer announcer and apprentice electrician before she joined the ABC full-time in 1990.

Now based in Brisbane, Karen is also the Saturday breakfast presenter for 612 ABC Brisbane.

Outside of the ABC, Karen enjoys catching up with families, barbeques, fishing and keeping in touch with family at home.