Newspapers want full $48 million in federal aid released

COUNTRY Press Australia has welcomed this week’s announcement by the Morrison Government to release $5 million from the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund.

However, CPA has urged the government to release the full $48 million from the fund and ensure it was only used as intended – for small and regional publishers of public interest journalism.

“The fund was established in 2017 as a direct result of the large media companies lobbying the federal government to make changes to media laws,” CPA president Bruce Ellen said.

“Despite the government claiming that the release of funds had been brought forward, the vast majority of these funds should have already been distributed as part of the three-year funding agreement to sustain small publishing companies.

“We are concerned about the minister’s (Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher) statement that more organisations will be eligible to apply.

“It is vital this fund continues to be for small and regional publishers and is not once again handed to the large public company media organisations who have scale and diversity that small publishers do not have.”

Mr Ellen said many publishers with low overheads have already had a significant boost with the JobKeeper Allowance, and online businesses with low overheads and large salaries would benefit.

Newspapers, on the other hand, had large overheads with printing and distribution, and the fund was largely established to assist traditional small news media businesses.

The Department of Communications website states the intention of the fund: “The Regional and Small Publishers Jobs and Innovation Package is designed to help small metropolitan and regional publishers adapt to the challenges facing the contemporary media environment, create employment opportunities for cadet journalists and support regional students to study journalism.”

Country Press Australia has 140 member newspapers and says the allocation of $5 million will not be enough to sustain those members beyond a very short timeframe.

Mr Ellen said the Morrison Government needed to release all the funds and maintain the intentions of the fund for smaller independent operators.