Funding boost for local news in Longreach

July 29, 2020

Funds have started to flow to 107 regional news outlets across the country as part of the Morrison Government’s $50 million Public Interest News Gathering (PING) program, providing much needed support to regional television, newspaper and radio outlets during COVID-19.

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP and Maranoa MP David Littleproud, said the funding will enable news outlets in Longreach to continue serving their community by providing reliable news and information.

“I welcome the news that The Longreach Leader and The Central Highlands Leader will receive $25,210.76 of funding, which will help keep local jobs and make sure quality public interest journalism continues to be available in our region,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Public interest journalism keeps our communities informed and connected, and it is especially important for people living in regional and remote areas.”

“Funding under the program will see $20 million for television, $12 million for radio and $18 million for publishing all across regional Australia, with the majority of the publishers receiving grants operating as small‑to‑medium businesses,” Minister Fletcher said.

“This funding will support a broad range of activities such as staff wages, training and technology upgrades to allow the successful recipients to keep delivering important news services to their communities.”

The PING program is just one of the relief measures the Government is providing to support the media industry during COVID-19. Other measures include $50 million for a Temporary Interruption Fund to support local film and television producers to recommence filming, $41 million spectrum tax relief for 12-months for commercial television and radio broadcasters, $5 million for the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund and temporary emergency suspension of content quotas for 2020.

Applications were considered through a demand-driven process, meaning that organisations who satisfied the eligibility criteria, including the production and distribution of public interest journalism in regional Australia, were eligible for funding.

Details of successful recipients will be available on Grant Connect: https://www.grants.gov.au/