Last week, the publisher of this masthead, ACM, launched a campaign asking political candidates if they would commit to supporting local news by publishing council notices in newspapers across regional NSW.
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To follow up on this campaign, the Leader asked each candidate running for Tamworth the following two questions:
![Publisher ACM's regional papers are asking Premier Dominic Perrottet and his Labor challenger at the March 25 election, Chris Minns, to back local news with guaranteed government advertising. Publisher ACM's regional papers are asking Premier Dominic Perrottet and his Labor challenger at the March 25 election, Chris Minns, to back local news with guaranteed government advertising.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200003594/180b2fe0-0d59-4b7c-a1fc-75203a13ba84.jpg/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
- Would you support a GUARANTEE from the new premier of NSW that no less than one full page of NSW government advertising will be booked each week in this newspaper and every local paper in the state?
- Will you REVERSE the 2020 regulatory change that allows local councils in NSW to bury public notices about their decisions on their websites rather than openly advertise them in the local paper?
Here's what each 'would-be' member for Tamworth said:
![Kevin Anderson has been the Member for Tamworth since 2011. Picture by Peter Hardin Kevin Anderson has been the Member for Tamworth since 2011. Picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200003594/dafb39cc-8f2b-45c3-bd56-786af5129f90.jpg/r0_0_5102_3401_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Tamworth MP and National Party candidate Kevin Anderson
Incumbent, Kevin Anderson said he personally supports local papers, but stopped short of advocating the reforms ACM's campaign is asking for.
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On a commitment to running a full page of NSW government advertising each week, Mr Anderson said he always made sure to advertise in local papers because they're important to communities.
"From the Leader, to the Quirindi Advocate, the Manilla Express, the Gunnedah Times and Barraba Community News, every paper in our region matters which is why I do my best to support them in any way I can," he said.
In regard to local councils openly advertising public notices, Mr Anderson said:
"It would be great if every organisation supported their local newspaper to help the community stay informed."
Mr Anderson said he worked as a journalist for nearly 25 years.
"I know how important local information sources - newspapers, radio, television, is to our regional communities. If councils don't support our local newspapers, shame on them, but I know I do, and I continue to do so," he said.
![Deputy Mayor Mark Rodda is the only candidate for Tamworth who has declared as an independent thus far. Picture by Peter Hardin Deputy Mayor Mark Rodda is the only candidate for Tamworth who has declared as an independent thus far. Picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200003594/d4327d98-9fd3-438d-ac10-7261bcc3d520.jpg/r0_0_5652_3768_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Independent candidate Mark Rodda
Mark Rodda is a Tamworth councillor and also deputy mayor.
As an independent candidate, he has a lot of freedom to talk about what he thinks the next premier should do.
Asked if he would want the next premier to run a full page of NSW government advertising in regional papers every week, Mr Rodda said:
"If they've got the advertising to be undertaken, if they've got the content, I would be supportive of that because I think that rural newspapers are important to rural people. People want to know what's going on and what their governments are up to. Whether it's printed or digital versions of newspapers, people will want to see what decisions and tenders the government is issuing."
The deputy mayor of Tamworth also had a first-hand look into the second major problem ACM's campaign highlights - local councils not advertising community notices in local papers, since the Tamworth Regional Council stopped putting notices in papers after the regulatory change in 2020.
Speaking on the reversal of said change, Mr Rodda said:
"I would definitely be happy to see that reversed. It was a regulatory change for the pandemic, and now that we're through the worst of the pandemic. In terms of the impact of it, I think it's important that people know what their council is up to, and what council is agreeing to. The council used to issue DAs, road closings, jobs, all sorts of things like that, and I think that's important in terms of being transparent and open."
Going further into the local council's decision to stop putting public notices in papers, Mr Rodda said:
"I think it was an immediate cost-saving thing in 2020, and I think they just thought, 'oh well, if we don't have to justify our decisions in the paper or advertise what we're up to' it was probably a line-item saving in the budget that they thought they didn't have to bear, but a lot of people have always read newspapers to get their sources of information about what's going on."
Mr Rodda said he thinks ACM should bring the matter to Tamworth Regional Council and every newly-elected council in the state.
![Kate McGrath said the questions raised by ACM, and in politics generally, "don't have simple sound-bite answers". Picture by Gareth Gardner Kate McGrath said the questions raised by ACM, and in politics generally, "don't have simple sound-bite answers". Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200003594/7a6eb388-32b1-45e2-a7a3-a6027c1bb1e6.jpg/r0_0_3797_2252_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Labor candidate Kate McGrath
Labor candidate Kate McGrath is also a councillor for Gunnedah Shire Council. She said that unlike Tamworth, Gunnedah council never stopped putting public notices in local papers.
When it came to the state government advertising in regional papers, she said she was broadly in favour, but only if it wasn't used for political showboating.
Regarding a commitment from the new premier, Ms McGrath said:
"In order to answer that I would really have to check what [party] policy is, but if I were to be in the job I think it wouldn't hurt. I think that the state and local government can play a really valuable role in platforming community organisations, rather than it just being the advertising in terms of 'hey look, we're wonderful vote for us,' which is kind of the default. You hear about hundreds of thousands being spent here, there and everywhere. But there's not been that ongoing story of: this is what's happened with that money, these are the outcomes that have come as a result. I think that's where that commitment to advertising would make sense."
Speaking about local councils, Ms McGrath said she was concerned about how such a change would affect councils for small towns in rural areas.
"I can understand that for many councils who no longer have a paper, a mandate for those very small councils is not necessarily practical. Sometimes that's the thing with that regulatory space is that things are very rarely one size fits all, but the rule is for everyone. I don't necessarily think that regulation needs to be repealed, but I do think that council and all levels of government should be acting in the best interest of their community. It really is a matter of transparency, it's ensuring people are able to access the information they need. It's fundamental."
When asked if she'd support a change which includes a carve-out for smaller councils, she said:
"I think so, so long as the information is then distributed beyond council's own resources. For the majority of places the local paper makes sense, but I don't think it has to be something as specific as the local paper. Still, I think we should be required to share that information beyond our own channels."
![As a cancer survivor and former frontline health worker, health has been the focus of Ryan Brook's campaign. Picture by Gareth Gardner As a cancer survivor and former frontline health worker, health has been the focus of Ryan Brook's campaign. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200003594/d8b35825-0d72-4cc1-b507-747f469835d0.jpg/r0_0_4126_2861_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Greens candidate Ryan Brooke
Greens candidate and small business owner Ryan Brook provided answers to ACM's questions that were very close to a straight-up 'yes'.
On the question of NSW committing to a full page of government advertising each week, Mr Brook said:
"It is mine and the Greens' opinion that a diverse, independent media being accessible is fundamental to a healthy democracy. To that effect, I would be supportive of the next government supporting regional papers via purchasing regular ads if the content is properly moderated to ensure it is unbiased of partisanship, and of importance to the population. I do worry that this would have the potential to, in practice, become a taxpayer funded campaigning tool for the party of the day if left unregulated."
For our second question about local councils, Mr Brook said he was in favour of reversing the 2020 regulatory change, but that publishers like ACM should have to play ball too.
"I do support local governments taking steps to ensure DAs and other city planning initiatives are accessible and archivable to everyone living within the LGA [local government area], including by purchasing ad space in local papers."