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Diversity panel discussed emerging opportunities for minorities, defying stereotypes and pushing boundaries.

YouTube is offering fresh opportunities for minority voices to gain a foothold, was one of the main takeaways from Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Diversity in Documentary panel, which took place Sunday (June 12) in the Adelphi Room at the Crucible Theatre.

Moderator Ruth Berry asked the group of four panelists – South London-born stand-up Kg Tha Comedian, Us actor-filmmaker-producer Ahmad Saadaldin, Us documentary producer-director Dawn Porter and Joseph Maxwell, commissioning editor at Australia’s public broadcaster Sbs – their opinions on increasing diversity in film and television while maintaining engaging and effective programming.

A landmark cross-platform programming event on Sbs will investigate the gay hate crime epidemic that blighted Sydney.s coastline during the 1980s and 1990s.

Blackfella Films. Deep Water is among the highlights of the multicultural broadcaster.s 2016 Upfronts unveiled in Sydney today.

The schedule is heavy on local and international documentaries (400 hours on the main channel and 100-plus on Sbs 2), food programming (100-plus hours on Sbs plus the Food Network which launched today) and imported dramas (more than 100 hours on Sbs and 70-plus on SBS2). The line-up includes 24 documentary commissions including 10 Indigenous productions but just one local comedy, the previously announced The Family Law from Matchbox Pictures.

Funded by Screen Australia in June, Deep Water will screen as a 4-part series, a feature documentary and an online prequel series, produced by Darren Dale and written by Jacob Hickey.. The gay crime wave resulted in as many as 80 murders and 30 unsolved cases.

The ABC.s new regional division and the TV news department are shooting a documentary series on residents in some of Australia.s smallest communities.

Due to air later this year, the 8-part Back Roads will be presented by Heather Ewart, who last year fronted A Country Road . The Nationals. That 3-part series chronicled the history of the National Party featuring larger-than-life characters Bob Katter, Clive Palmer, Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce as well as old-timers such as Doug Anthony and Malcolm Fraser. Brigid Donovan, a long-time producer with Australian Story, is working on the project with teams from ABC regional radio, online and mobile. Back Roads will ask why people have chosen the coastal or country life and look at the events and celebrations that bind them. The new ABC Regional brings together program makers, producers and reporters from across the country to provide a unified service. There are...

The latest rounds from Screen Australia.s Documentary Production Broadcast and Producer programs have seen 16 documentaries receive close to $4.4 million in funding..

This investment is expected to generate a total production expenditure of close to $16.7 million.

In a statement released to the media, Screen Australia.s Senior Manager, Documentary, Liz Stevens, said, .In the second round of the Producer program we are pleased to see producers aiming at ambitious and multi-layered release plans for stories that will appeal. The documentaries coming through the Broadcast program offer audiences good insights and a few surprises into many compelling Australian stories..

The Producer program enables filmmakers the flexibility to find the best pathway to their audience, whatever and whoever they might be.

The Documentary Production Producer and Broadcast programs now accept applications through the Online Application Portal. The next deadline for the Producer program is 18 September 2015. From 1 July 2015, the Broadcast program will accept applications at any time.

In this roundup from the Encore and Mumbrella Annual, we look back at the seven most disliked on-air personalities from the last 12 months.

1. Kyle Sandilands

While the public don’t seem to like Kyle Sandilands all that much, his Sydney breakfast radio show remains number one among the FM commercial stations.

2. Matthew Newton

Broadcasters and producers have stayed away from the troubled Matthew Newton who has been diagnosed with a mental illness and is living in the Us. It looks unlikely he will return to our screens any time soon.

3. Sam Newman

Newman is no stranger to public backlash and has been hauled over the coals for sexist and racist on-air comments. In May he angered anti-drug advocates when he pretended to smoke a bong on TV.

4. Ben Cousins

The good-looking Ben Cousins should be perfect talent but he has struggled with drug issues in the media spotlight and, as recently as April this year,...

The new executive producer of Nine’s Today show Neil Breen made the jump to TV after 23 years in print. He spoke to Brooke Hemphill about his surprise appointment as editor of The Sunday Telegraph, being in Kevin Rudd’s bad books and his plans for Today.

Neil Breen sits behind The Sunday Telegraph editor’s desk at News Limited’s Sydney headquarters on Holt Street. He’s into his last few days on the job and outside his office are rows of empty desks as many of the staff have moved across the floor to join their colleagues from The Daily Telegraph in the newly consolidated seven-day newsroom.

Breen is about to leave the building to start his new role as executive producer of Nine’s breakfast program, Today, and he’s talking down expectations about making the leap to a different medium in which he has little more...

Neil Breen, the editor of Australia’s biggest selling newspaper, is to depart after nearly seven years at the helm. Breen told Mumbrella he is considering a move to television.

Breen told Mumbrella: “I’ve been the editor of the Sunday Telegraph for seven years. There comes a witching hour for everyone. I’ve been thinking about this all year. I know people will interpret this as me throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but it’s not the case. I asked myself was I prepared to reload and go again? I’ve been asking myself why would I give up the best job on the planet, but covering the Olympics got me out of the office and time to think.

“The person in this role needs to have vision for the next go – it needs someone like me in 2006. I owe it to myself and the paper to go.

The results of the first ever Encore Score, an on air talent ranking designed for marketers and TV networks, were announced at the Mumbrella360 conference this morning.

By far the most popular Australian personality is Hugh Jackman with an Encore Score of 426 while Kyle Sandilands was the least popular with a score of -299.

The survey quizzed 2965 members of the public about 738 personalities. Survey respondents were asked which celebrities they recognised and how much they liked or hated each personality.

The intention of the Encore Score is to provide an indicator to brands and programmers about which personalities are most bankable with audiences.

Each respondent saw 100 names and images. Each celebrity was seen by an average of 360 respondents. A formula was then applied to the results that took into account how many people ‘liked’ them, ‘hated’ them and ‘recognised’ them, resulting in the Encore Score ((%favourite – %hate x level of...

Pauline Hanson is reportedly living with a man. The controversial Australian politician, who recently took part in The Celebrity Apprentice Australia, is believed to have been dating Nelson Bay estate agent Tony Nyquist for the past year despite recently saying on the radio that she is "single". Locals told Woman's Day magazine: "They live together. They go out together. [Locals] accept her, they are happy to have her here. She's very welcome." Nyquist also said that he feels "really proud" of Hanson, but claimed that they are "just friends" who enjoy spending time together. Hanson recently revealed that she is "happiest... at home", saying that she enjoys "cooking, (more)...

With the grand finale airing tonight, Nine’s end-of-year ratings push has been led five nights a week by the FremantleMedia-produced Celebrity Apprentice. Georgina Pearson visits the set during the show’s six-week Sydney shoot to find out how the series came together.

Celebrity Apprentice is an interesting concept; one that perhaps, on paper, could be deemed a marketing nightmare. For how can you take B-grade Australian celebs and replicate the hugely successful multi-billion dollar Donald Trump-helmed hit?

The crew shoot a challenge episode

For the unfamiliar, the premise is fairly simple: 12 celebrity contestants, each vying for a final prize of $100,000 for their chosen charity. Entrepreneur and founder of wealth management company Yellow Brick Road, Mark Bouris, presides as the ultimate boss. Guided by Acp Magazines’ Deborah Thomas and Bouris’ long time right-hand man Brad Seymour, Bouris puts the contestants through their paces with a series of team challenges...

Pauline Hanson has slammed her former Celebrity Apprentice Australia co-stars. The Australian politician, who was fired by the reality TV show's boss Mark Bouris in Tuesday night's episode (November 15), claimed that she experienced a massive "betrayal" from her colleagues and was unfairly dismissed by Bouris. Hanson told The Daily Telegraph that she started to believe that she was being "set up" by team leader Julia Morris during last week's P&O challenge. She said of comedian Morris: "It was those comments behind the scenes, off camera. You don't know what she's saying. She's trying to be funny, but they're not funny, she's really being bitchy. That's how I've taken it and I don't like it. "I like fair play. I've copped it through politics where you think (more)...

Pauline Hanson has been eliminated from Celebrity Apprentice Australia. The politician, who faced boss Mark Bouris in the boardroom alongside teammate Jason Coleman after they lost a school play challenge, said that she felt proud that she had acted with integrity throughout the competition. As the duo entered the room, Coleman admitted that he was "devastated" to be there, but insisted that he and Hanson were the "underdogs" in the challenge because the other team had comedian Julia Morris on their side. Bouris criticised Coleman for not managing to "maintain control" of the children they were performing for. The choreographer admitted that, after being labelled "mean" by the kids, he was "worried" about his "brand" and dwindling popularity as a celebrity. In a bid to avoid 'backstabbing', (more)...

Jason Coleman has slammed swimwear model Lara Bingle during her guest stint on the Australian version of Celebrity Apprentice. Choreographer Coleman and politician Pauline Hanson were teamed up with guest celebrities Bingle and radio presenter Jono Coleman as Team Unity, and were asked to present a children's play at a local Sydney school. Team leader Coleman called Bingle a "waste of space" when she walked on stage too early, while Hanson became frustrated when the model didn't purchase all the props and costumes needed for the production. The children watching the performance described the So You Think You Can Dance Australia judge as "crazy" and "mean", as he desperately tried to save the show based on 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. (more)...

Australian Celebrity Apprentice contestant Shane Crawford has joked about enjoying a romance with Pauline Hanson. The former Aussie rules footballer, who is taking part in the reality television series alongside politician Hanson, said that he has more respect for her than most of the other celebrities on the show. Crawford told the Herald Sun: "Everyone thinks the hot romance is between Didier [Cohen] and Jesinta [Campbell], but it's actually me and Pauline. Going into it, Pauline polarised me the most. I thought she was going to be really difficult to work with, but she wasn't that way at all. "I found her the most interesting actually - she's been through a lot. I just wanted to (more)...

Lisa Curry has revealed that there was more than one romance on this year's Australian version of Celebrity Apprentice. The former Olympic swimming champion, who was fired from the competition earlier this week after a dispute with Jason Coleman, said that Jesinta Campbell and Didier Cohen were not the only contestants to get together during the show. Curry told the Courier-Mail: "[They were] only one of a couple of love affairs going on in there. I can't tell you [who else]. You've got to watch it and see it yourself.'' When asked if it was politician Pauline Hanson, Curry laughed and said: 'No, I'm not a gossiper." When asked if it was Coleman and Cohen, she said: "Didier wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole! Look, all I can say is you can see chemistry between people. (more)...

Warwick Capper has returned to Celebrity Apprentice Australia. The Aussie sports star, who was the first celebrity to be eliminated from the reality television show, was asked to come back and join the girls' team for one challenge. Olympic swimmer Lisa Curry was absent from Monday night's episode of Celebrity Apprentice due to a previous engagement, so Team Ignite members Pauline Hanson, Jesinta Campbell and Julia Morris were surprised when boss Mark Bouris welcomed Capper to replace her. Both teams were asked to put together a fashion show for Grazia magazine editor Kellie Hush. The winning team would be given $$20,000 (£13,000) by Hush to donate to their project manager's special charity. Hanson, who was project manager for Team Ignite, admitted that she was quite "nervous" about the challenge because (more)...

Celebrity Apprentice star Pauline Hanson has admitted that she does not like Didier Cohen. The Australian politician, who took part in the reality television series alongside model Cohen, said that he would not acknowledge her because of past reports of her being xenophobic and homophobic. When one of the presenters on Nova FM described Cohen as "lovely", Hanson said: "There's another side to Didier. You can imagine that Wendell Sailor or Deni Hines [would] have an opinion of me based on what the media [has said]... that I'm racist. "[But] Deni said [to me], 'It's not true what they said about you, that's you don't like black people and you (more)...

Wendell Sailor has been fired from Australian Celebrity Apprentice. The former rugby player, who was captain of Team Unity during an aquarium photoboard challenge in Wednesday night's episode, was eliminated after bringing Pauline Hanson and Jason Coleman back into the boardroom with him to face boss Mark Bouris. Sailor told Bouris: "I was the project manager, so that makes me accountable. I'd hate to get fired over not bringing one or two corporates in." The other Team Unity members Jesinta Campbell and Shane Crawford were safe from elimination, but Coleman slammed rival Team Ignite member Max Markson again for stealing a $$5,000 (£3,200) cheque from him. "I don't think anyone from this team should be fired," he told Bouris. "If anyone [should go], (more)...

Australian Celebrity Apprentice's contestants have fallen out over an "unsavoury" incident. Celebrity agent Max Markson, who was moved to Team Ignite with model Didier Cohen for a task at Sydney Aquarium, was labelled "uncharitable" by the members of his rival team after stealing a $$5,000 (£3,200) cheque from them. Team Unity - now consisting of Pauline Hanson, Jesinta Campbell, Wendell Sailor, Jason Coleman and Shane Crawford - were handed the cheque by Woman's Day magazine after choreographer Coleman agreed to do a special dance for them. Markson, however, claimed that he had already been pledged the money by the publication's editor and insisted that the donation belonged to his team. In the boardroom, Coleman told Mark Bouris: "Any attempt to reason with Max was futile. (more)...

Deni Hines has revealed that she gets along with Pauline Hanson. The Australian singer, who was eliminated from Celebrity Apprentice earlier this week, said that she thought she'd "hate" fellow contestant Hanson because she has been accused of racism in the past, but instead found her to be "lovely". Hines told Woman's Day magazine: "I thought, 'Oh, this is going to be interesting. She supposedly doesn't like black people'." However, she said that once she got to know the politician - who she has dubbed "Mumma P" - she was pleasantly surprised. Hines continued: "To see how she is as a person... She's got a lovely, gentle heart. "Hearing her story of being (more)...

Deni Hines has been fired from Australian Celebrity Apprentice. The singer, who as captain of Team Ignite failed to raise more money than the male Team Unity during an art challenge aired on Monday, chose to bring teammates Pauline Hanson and Lisa Curry into the boardroom with her to face elimination by boss Mark Bouris. Bouris commended former Olympic swimmer Curry for her "fantastic" strength, but said that he has an "issue" with her "lack of confidence" in herself. He then criticised politician Pauline Hanson for failing to "connect" with her team members. He told Hines that her "organisational skills weren't great", but added that she "did manage to put on a good night". However, after previously asking each (more)...

Polly Porter has been fired from The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. The reality television star, who was taking part in the show helmed by Mark Bouris alongside celebrities such as Pauline Hanson, Wendell Sailor, Max Markson and Deni Hines, was fired by the boss. Her team had failed to raise funds during a KFC challenge earlier this week. Team Ignite's leader Hanson was asked to nominated two team members to bring into the boardroom with her and she opted for singer Hines and Porter. Hanson slammed Porter for not making "an effort" to build up her contact book in order to raise more money, while she accused Hines of not being a "team performer". Bouris told Hanson that she had "failed to deliver" as a project manager, but praised her for her work ethic, referring to her as a true "Aussie battler". (more)...

Warwick Capper has been fired from Celebrity Apprentice Australia. The former Sydney Swans rugby player, who was taking part in the reality television show alongside celebrities such as Pauline Hanson, Jesinta Campbell and Didier Cohen, launched into a tirade against every star on the show including boss Mark Bouris after becoming the first contestant to be eliminated. Team Unity leader Max Markson was ordered to bring two celebrities into the boardroom with him after they lost a car wash challenge to the female team. Although Markson chose to bring sports star Wendell Sailor in with him, it was Capper who he wanted sacked for not pulling his weight during the task. In the boardroom, Capper claimed that the series would "plummet in the ratings" if he was asked to leave, adding: "Once I go they're in trouble... (more)...

The first ever series of Celebrity Apprentice Australia premiered last night. The reality television show, which features contestants including politician Pauline Hanson, model Jesinta Campbell and celebrity agent Max Markson, peaked at 1.325 million viewers in the second half of its hour-long timeslot, putting it ahead of Junior MasterChef and level with The X Factor. In the first episode, the contestants were divided into male and female teams and told to set up a car washing business. Group leader Markson and his Team Unity fell out when dance guru Jason Coleman complained that Markson was "not listening" to his colleagues, while Warwick Capper irked his fellow contestants by sitting down throughout most of the challenge. > 'Celebrity Apprentice' Australia's Lisa Curry: 'The show's stressful'

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Pauline Hanson has revealed that she was once offered money to take her clothes off. The 57-year-old Australian politician, who is currently taking part in this season of Celebrity Apprentice, said that she turned down the offer of nearly $$50,000 (£32,000) to take part in a swimwear photoshoot. Hanson told the Herald Sun: "I was offered a lot of money to do a swimwear shoot. It was the magazines and they offered it about a year ago. It was not quite $$50,000, but it was a lot of money and I knocked it back." However, she said that she was happy to strip down to swimwear for charity in the first episode of Celebrity Apprentice, which airs tonight. "It was great to be able to do it and that's what I'm about, supporting your teammates... that got us over the line," she said. Hanson said that she was pleased when she took fellow...

Lisa Curry has described Celebrity Apprentice Australia as "stressful". The Olympic swimming champion, who is currently taking part in the Australian version of the reality television show hosted by Mark Bouris, said that she manages to have fun despite the "very long" filming hours. Curry told the Courier-Mail: "The show is stressful and fun all rolled into one. They work us hard, it's very long hours and you are working with people who you don't know. "These are people who are successful in their own right and successful because of how they do things. There's a lot of give and take. Sometimes more take with others than give." Curry is taking part in the programme alongside stars such as politician Pauline Hanson, model Jesinta Campbell, former rugby player Wendell Sailor, (more)...

Celebrity Apprentice Australia's host Mark Bouris has revealed that this year's season will be bigger and better. The Australian businessman, who is the 'boss' of stars such as The Block winner Polly Porter, politician Pauline Hanson, model Jesinta Campbell and sports star Shane Crawford in this year's series, admitted that the last season did not work. Bouris told The Daily Telegraph: "It was a bad timeslot. We were on at 9.30pm and in 2009, it was also a different period in Channel Nine's life, too. "They are a lot better positioned today. I originally went to [producers] Fremantle and said we should do a celebrity version next, and they've been trying to sell that idea into Nine for a long, long time." Although he described the show as "business", Bouris said that handling (more)...

Celebrity Apprentice Australia host Mark Bouris has revealed that he finds Pauline Hanson "endearing". The politician, who is taking part in the reality show alongside stars including singer Deni Hines, model Jesinta Campbell and Nrl player Wendell Sailor, impressed businessman Bouris with her "raw honesty" after being accused of not pulling her weight during an art show challenge. According to National Features, Hanson explained the inspiration behind the painting she created during the challenge, opening up about the time she was wrongly jailed for fraud. Bouris later said: "She has an honesty which is quite stunning. Obviously her honesty has got her in trouble in the past, because certain people misinterpret it... She is not only honest in terms of telling people she might be racist, but, equally, the flipside (more)...

Lara Bingle has been announced as one of the special celebrity guests at this year's Melbourne Cup. The Australian swimwear model, who used to be engaged to cricket captain Michael Clarke and recently split from rugby star Danny Cipriani, will reportedly join racing ambassadors Megan Gale and Samantha Harris in the David Jones marquee at the BMW Caulfield Cup this weekend. According to the Herald Sun, Celebrity Apprentice contestants Jesinta Campbell, Polly Porter, Pauline Hanson and Warwick Capper will attend the Nine Network's party, while MasterChef judge George Calombaris, The 7pm Project presenter Carrie Bickmore and singer Kate Ceberano will be VIPs in the BMW marquee. Dannii Minogue's partner Kris Smith is also scheduled to make a special appearance with his father (more)...

Jesinta Campbell has revealed that she admires Pauline Hanson. The former Miss Universe Australia, who is currently taking part in Aussie reality television series Celebrity Apprentice alongside controversial politician Hanson, even described her as being like her "mum". Campbell told the Herald Sun: "Pauline is amazing. I really didn't think I'd get along with Pauline because politically she has such strong views and I don't necessarily agree with a lot of them, but the beautiful thing about this show is you get to see a different side." She also revealed that Hanson won her over when she brought a homemade lemon meringue pie to a dinner party that Campbell threw for her female Celebrity Apprentice (more)...

Shane Crawford has revealed that he has faith in himself to win Celebrity Apprentice. The Australian former football captain, who is taking part in the reality television show as part of a cast including controversial politician Pauline Hanson, footballer Warwick Capper and The Block's Polly Porter, said that he looks forward to working as a team again. Crawford told the Herald Sun: "I consider myself creative. I've got a lot of ideas, but most of them are no good. Being part of a team for a long period means I'll really be pushing (more)...

Filming on this year's Australian Celebrity Apprentice has started. The full lineup for this season of the reality television show run by businessman Mark Bouris has now been announced and definitely includes controversial politician Pauline Hanson. Hanson told The Daily Telegraph that her forceful nature, work ethic and leadership skills will help her win the competition, but said that she is fully expecting the "usual scrutiny" that she gets wherever she goes. "This is Pauline Hanson," she said. "I'll do what I can." Polly Porter, who is best known as the winner of (more)...

The rumoured lineup for this year's Aussie Celebrity Apprentice has been revealed. The 2011 season of the reality television show, which will reportedly start filming next month, will apparently feature Home and Away actor Lincoln Lewis, The Block star Polly Porter and feminist Germaine Greer. Other famous faces who have been linked to the series by the Herald Sun include former Hawthorn footballer Shane Crawford and ex-politician Pauline Hanson. Porter and her boyfriend Waz Jones were the only couple in this year's The Block who made any profit on their renovated property, which meant that (more)...