An Albanese Labor Government will deliver a $29 million local news and community broadcasting transition package to help regional, local and community media providers from a decade of Liberal-National mismanagement to a better future under Labor.

Labor will establish a $15 million fund to assist eligible newspaper publishers absorb newsprint price increases, comprising:

• $10 million for eligible regional newspaper publishers.
• $5 million for eligible local newspaper publishers, including independent suburban, First Nations and multicultural newspaper publishers.

Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann said the package was great news for local media in the Ipswich, Somerset Region and Karana Downs area, which has suffered in recent years.

“Labor raised the alarm on the newsprint crisis last month and extended bipartisan support for the formulation of a crisis response during the pre-election caretaker period.

“If Scott Morrison had done his job properly by supporting public interest journalism with measures that were recommended well before COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, the sector would have been on a more sustainable footing to absorb this price increase.

“Labor will consult to finalise the guidelines and ensure an incoming Albanese Labor Government is ready to activate a response early in the new financial year.”

Mr Neumann said Labor will also provide $12 million from 2023-24 to the Community Broadcasting Program to give the sector the funding certainty it needs while working with the sector to identify a sustainable funding basis for the future.

“After all community radio broadcasters like West Bremer Radio in Ipswich have done for Australians – through bushfires, floods and the COVID pandemic – all they get from Scott Morrison is a great big question mark,” he said.

“Scott Morrison ignored the sector’s calls for COVID crisis funding during the pandemic and has ignored their calls for sustainable funding going forwards.

“Instead of granting the usual four-year top up funding, Scott Morrison inexplicably only gave the sector two years, which runs out next year.

“Community broadcasting relies on just over $20 million annually to maintain existing services and supports, yet from 2023-24, government funding drops to around $17 million over the forward estimates.

“Labor’s commitment will maintain community broadcasting funding so the sector can continue to support their communities with local news, emergency broadcasting and local content, including Australian music, as well as with post-COVID recovery and post-natural disaster initiatives,” Mr Neumann said.