JUERGEN CORLEIS, one of the longest serving foreign correspondents in Australia and the past president of the FCA, recounts the heydays of the FCA on its 20th anniversary, but he finds little cheer in what the International Media Centre in Sydney, once home to FCA, has been reduced to in the past decade.

As the FCA celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, we can proudly look back to some great achievements and events of our association.

Exactly 10 years ago, after much lobbying, the then FCA Board won a major battle. On August 10, 1995, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs Gareth Evans announced at one of our newsmaker luncheons, an extremely popular event with members and local journalists, that his department would establish an International Media Centre in Sydney.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade media release issued soon after stated: "The International Media Centre will provide Australia's network of resident foreign correspondents with an operational base, allowing them to use its state-of-the art facilities as well as giving them access to data bases, contacts and story ideas around the country. They will also have a venue for news briefings and luncheon addresses".

At the International Media Centre in Margaret Street, our members could meet, read newspapers and access wire-services at one of the many workstations. The state-of-the-art facilities included a radio and Television recording and editing studio, provided by industrial sponsors to the FCA.

In 1996, when the John Howard-led Coalition Government came to power, there were suggestions to close the facility. We succeeded in delaying its closure until the 2000 Olympic Games. But as the curtain fell on the Games and Australia basked in its new found international glory for staging one of the best Olympics, shutters were drawn on a facility that had been our home.

A modified IMC was set up at William Street and subsequently moved to the present location at Angel Place on Pitt Street. Today, it is only a watered down version with limited access and facilities and nothing compared to the facilities available to foreign correspondents based in other democratic countries.

It is, indeed, worthwhile to note how the present IMC sees its history and it's brief. I quote from the DFAT website: "The IMC was established in 1995 to assist resident and foreign media with background information, briefings, advice and logistics to allow them to report accurately and comprehensively on Australian issues. The IMC is also able to provide foreign correspondents and visiting overseas media with story ideas, and contacts across a wide range of matters as well as facilitating access to government, business, academia and cultural organisations. The IMC works closely with the Foreign Correspondents' Association (Australia and South Pacific)" www.dfat.gov.au/imcaus/

The present IMC has only one workplace, which has to be booked in advance as the office is only staffed part-time. There is no mention of an "operational base" for the FCA or as a venue for luncheon briefings. Despite it, the impression given is that today's IMC is still what it was 10 years ago.

Noteworthy too is the brief of the IMC to assist the media in "accurate" reporting. Well, as journalists we do check and counter check facts and figures for accurate reporting, but who decides what is "accurate"? Officials, who are serving the government of the day or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which we occasionally criticise for good reason?

Governments of the world deal differently with the media. The German "Federal Press Conference", which represents the Federal Press Gallery and the foreign correspondents, states on its website: "In many countries the governments are setting the rules for information....briefings are only done for certain groups, determined by the government". www.bundespressekonferenz.de

In Germany, the Federal Press Conference organizes Press Conferences and briefings where politicians are invited guests and journalists set the rules. The venues are financed by the Federal Government and State Governments without any strings attached. It is relevant to mention this here as in the past when we wanted to host leader of the Opposition Labour Party of Australia for a briefing, the IMC refused. Most recently a request for a briefing by a non-political environmental representative at IMC was turned down. The February 18, 2005, `Doctors for Forests' briefing had to be arranged at the Indian Tourist Board, and we are grateful to them for their generous gesture.

While IMC is important for us and our work, in its non-"Media Centre" role of mere liaison institution with the government of the day, it should drop its pretentious title "International Media Centre".

It is sad that in 20 years of our existence we have not succeeded in getting a permanent home and venue for our functions, meetings and media briefings. We don't even have an "operational base". I urge all members and the new 2005-2006 FCA Board to put this as a priority on the agenda.