Foreign Correspondents' Association

Click here to download a membership application form

The Foreign Correspondents' Association (FCA), was established in 1985 to promote the professional interests of foreign journalists based in Australia and the South Pacific and who represent overseas news organizations.

Now celebrating our 25th Anniversary in 2010, the FCA has a membership of over 160, which includes 130 media members who file stories around the world from Australia, plus associate members who include government, business and diplomatic representatives. Our sponsor members provide the FCA with venues, trips and access to stories around the country, plus top contacts in Australian business, industry, academe and government.

This site contains information on upcoming FCA events, reports on previous activities, feature articles, a members' database and many useful links for correspondents.

We welcome new members and inquiries. For information please contact April Pressler, Executive Secretary and Online Editor, telephone 0412 271 744 or email fca@foreigncorrespondents.org. For an FCA Membership Application Form please Click here.

2010 AGM: Over 40 Members attended the FCAs 2010 Annual General Meeting in Sydney on Thursday 5 August. This important annual social and networking event gave members the opportunity to hear reports of the outgoing Board, to put forward ideas for the FCA and to elect a new FCA Board for 2010-11: President - Steve Marshall; Vice-President - Roger Maynard; Hon. Secretary - Trevor Watson; Treasurer - Henry Benjamin; Executive Board members - Barbara Bierach, Mimi Chau, Nancy Notzon, Claudio Paroli. Click here for AGM Minutes, reports and Henry Benjamin's photographs.

AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS: The outcome of the election of a new Australian government remains undecided, with the final vote count still to determine whether the Coalition or Labor will have most seats and be able to form government with the crucial support of four elected Independents. The Greens also made a big impact in the 2010 elections, with alternative policies on climate change and asylum seekers and resulting in the election of their first member in the House of Representatives. Preethi Sundaram looked at alternative asylum seeker policies prior to the elections and you can read her story here.

THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE - THE AUSTRALIAN STORY: Many Australians see their country as a melting put of nationalities in a multicultural society, while many others still see and want to see Australia as a distant outpost of the UK and Europe, an attitude prevalent for over 100 years. Preethi Sundaram has investigated the history of acceptance and discrimination in Australia of various migrant groups, besides Australia’s own indigenous peoples, and she had to conclude that the Australian cultural identity is constantly evolving. Please go here for Preethi’s feature plus photographs.

RATS OUT OF PARADISE: Almost 100 years ago, a steamship from Glasgow, Scotland, ran aground on Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea during one of its regular passenger and cargo trips to the island. Recently, Barbara Bierach found out about the slow but steady destruction of Lord Howe’s biodiversity that was the consequence of that mishap by the steamship from Scotland – and she also learned of plans to return beautiful Lord Howe to the paradise it should be. For Barbara’s story, just published in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag, please click here.