List of Recommendations

Recommendation 1

2.126

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government undertake a comprehensive review of the viability of regional newspapers in Australia, reporting its findings to the Committee within two years.

Recommendation 2

2.131

The Committee recommends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 be amended to enable the Australian Communications and Media Authority to consider the factors outlined in the News in Australia: diversity and localism research paper in determining whether an unacceptable media diversity situation exists.

Recommendation 3

2.135

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government consider the funding and development of a project to gather and analyse core longitudinal data on regional newspapers in Australia over a minimum 10‑year period.

Recommendation 4

2.138

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government consider legislative amendments which would allow the sharing of industry data on regional newspaper providers between relevant Government agencies.

Recommendation 5

2.143

The Committee recommends that the Government create and maintain a national, publicly available register of regional news providers (both print and digital), using the US News Desert project by the University of North Carolina as a model.

Recommendation 6

2.148

The Committee recommends that the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Special Broadcasting Service to facilitate partnerships with small regional publishers and broadcasters, modelled on the BBC Local News Partnerships program.

Recommendation 7

3.112

The Committee recommends the Australian Government review government advertising expenditure across all departments and agencies with a view to ensuring a minimum of 20 per cent of government print advertising is placed in regional newspapers.

This should be part of long term advertising contracts that provide certainty of income for regional publications.

The Committee expects this measure to be cost neutral and able to be implemented within 12 months.

An independent process should be established to select the newspaper outlets eligible to participate in the print advertising program.

Recommendation 8

3.117

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government develop a targeted grants program aimed at small, independent newspapers based in regional and remote Australian communities.

Recommendation 9

3.121

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government provides funding for research, programs and initiatives to assist local publishers, including regional newspapers to:

identify and implement alternative, sustainable business models, achieved through a diverse range of revenue streams that might include advertising, audience generated income, services and e-commerce;

increase capabilities required to perform the governance, administrative and editorial functions of the news organisation; and

implement effective technology to reach their target audience and monetise outputs.

Recommendation 10

3.125

The Committee recommends that, as part of the review recommended at Recommendation 1, the Australian Government also considers the viability of a tax rebate for regional businesses that support their local newspaper through a minimum advertising spend, and for regional newspapers that produce public interest journalism and employ local journalists.

Recommendation 11

4.76

The Committee recommends that the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Communications and the Australian Communications and Media Authority work with relevant digital platforms and news providers to ensure appropriate transparency in voluntary commercial deals.

Recommendation 12

4.81

The Committee recommends that the Consumer and Competition Act 2010 be amended to require that news media organisations must have revenue of $75,000 for the most recent year and for at least 3 of the 5 most recent years to register for the News Media and Digital Platforms Bargaining Code.

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