Stefan Bradley
THE Premier, Daniel Andrews, has promised country newspaper owners that the government will take out full-page advertisements each week in every regional newspaper across the state.
The pledge came during Mr Andrews’ surprise appearance last Friday at the Victorian Country Press Association Conference in Melbourne.
Mr Andrews said that regional newspapers were the lifeblood of country communities, giving a voice to important local issues and delivering news that is dedicated to serving local communities.
“A re-elected Labor government will strengthen and protect the future of regional media, with guaranteed advertising revenue for regional newspapers in every corner of our state,” he said.
“More than 1.5 million people live in regional Victoria, with more people migrating to the state’s regional cities and communities every year.
“Whether it’s a bushfire, a flood emergency or a global pandemic, time and time again we have seen regional newspapers step up and serve their communities in incredibly important ways.
“Labor is doing what matters – backing regional media outlets with guaranteed advertising revenue so they can keep supporting their local communities.”
The Premier’s media team told the Gippsland Times there was no specific dollar amount on the policy at this time, but said the guarantee builds on the unprecedented level of support delivered for regional media throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout the pandemic, the Labor Government spent more than $20 million to support regional media outlets through advertising, supporting jobs and protecting local news,” a spokesperson said.
Currently, there’s no specific timeframe for the first weekly full-page advertisement, but as an election commitment, it is expected to be implement sometime next year.
The Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, said The Nationals and Liberals in government would continue to support regional media and help inform regional Victorians with relevant government advertising.
“As a former regional journalist, there is no one more supportive of regional media than me. I’ve continued to support local media through my small advertising budget since the challenges brought on by the pandemic in early 2020 – just as all of my Nationals colleagues do,” Mr O’Brien said.
“While all government advertising should include regional newspapers, one has to be a bit cynical about this government announcement given the millions being poured into every possible medium by this government, particularly in the city. We shouldn’t forget Victoria’s independent Auditor-General found Labor had breached regulations by running partisan ads funded by the taxpayer to support their federal Labor colleagues during the 2019 election.”
With costs of paper and production growing, many regional and rural mastheads are struggling. During the early days of the pandemic, some publishers closed their newspapers permanently due to a sudden reduction in advertising and no events or sport to cover.
One such publication was the Yarram Standard, which ended its print run after 145 years of continuous publication.
