(KPL) On Tuesday, Australian Ambassador Megan Jones met Mr. Khamphan Pheuyavong, Head of the Party Central Committee Propaganda and Training Board to highlight Australia’s growing engagement with and support for the Lao media sector.

Both sides agreed to further deepen their cooperation as part of efforts to advance the Laos-Australia Comprehensive Partnership signed by the countries’ Prime Ministers in March last year.

Ambassador Megan Jones was the first ambassador in Laos to visit Mr Khamphan since the transfer of the media sector from the Information portfolio to the Propaganda and Training Board.

The Ambassador said media is crucial for making it easier for the public to understand important issues that matter to them, particularly when they are complex and difficult. She thanked the Lao media for their support in promoting Laos-Australia relations, which have endured for over 70 years.

“We want to work with Lao media to respond to the changing media landscape, particularly digitalisation,” she said.

In May this year, Australia supported a workshop to upskill Lao media to achieve financial sustainability for their organisations and help them to overcome commercial challenges.

During Laos’ ASEAN chair year, Australia supported a media workshop to prepare Lao journalists for the ASEAN chairmanship, enabling them to understand the origins of ASEAN, how to report news and handle public relations internationally, and how to identify mis and disinformation.

“Now we are introducing Australia’s ABC Digital Dialogue to Southeast Asia, and Laos will be ABC’s first stop in August,” she said. This capacity building event will be held in collaboration with the media sector ahead of Laos’ 75th Media Day celebration on August 13.

The Digital Dialogue is designed to enable journalists, influencers and content creators to enhance their knowledge and skills, including for tackling the growing challenges of AI adoption and identifying mis and disinformation.

Laos has a young population which is facing many rapid changes in the modern world – Australia wants to be a part of Laos’ conversation on how the society responds and adapts for the benefit of the people of Laos.

Mr Khamphan expressed his sincere gratitude to Australia for its support, emphasising that Australia's capacity building efforts and technical assistance play a crucial role in Laos’ development.

He reaffirmed his commitment to continuing the partnership with Australia, not only in existing areas of cooperation but also in exploring new opportunities such as addressing new challenges in the digital era.

KPL