This Minns Labor Government is continuing work to safeguard the production of local stories across the state with $3 million in grants to be made available to regional and rural newspapers.
Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty announced the delivery of the Government's top up of $3 million to make the Regional Media Fund a $6 million commitment since its election, at the 2024 Country Press NSW Conference and Awards of Excellence in Dubbo.
Regional media plays a vital role in keeping their communities informed and reporting on matters of importance, as well as informing, celebrating and connecting people.
The first round of the Regional Media Fund, which closed in April 2023, delivered grants to 47 regional outlets to support diversification and expansion into digital content.
Following consultation with regional media stakeholders, including the Country Press NSW and Australian Community Media, the second round of this program will be improved to better reflect industry needs and ease accessibility for support.
This new funding will be made available to help support media organisations to meet the production, operational and content gathering costs associated with running a regional and rural media outlet.
Eligibility and guidelines of the second round will be finalised in the coming weeks in close consultation with industry and stakeholders with grant applications to open before the end of the year.
This is part of the Minns Labor Government's ongoing work to deliver solutions which will support regional NSW communities to thrive.
Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said:
"The Minns Labor Government understands the importance of local papers and local stories particularly in regional communities.
"It is regional and rural papers that help get local issues on the agenda that would otherwise fall through the cracks.
"We understand complex barriers face these outlets, including the rise of technology. This funding is about providing responsible support which will ease the pressure facing regional media.
Country Press NSW President Lucie Peart said:
"We are pleased that the Minister has announced the Regional Media Fund Round Two. This second round was a key piece of the government's election commitment.
"We are grateful that this round will provide further support to regional publishers. Since the first round of the fund, the landscape for regional news businesses has changed; we are challenged by digital platforms and a further decline in newsrooms across the state.
"This second round of funding will provide a boost to the regional news industry and allow journalists and local newspaper publishers to keep doing what they do best - keeping communities informed and providing vital public interest journalism."
