Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House that the communities of Augathella, Barcaldine, Longreach, Blackall, Infracombe, Alpha, Rubyvale, Tambo, Willows Gemfield, Winton, Charleville, Injune, Mitchell, Morven, Cunnamulla, Capella, Clermont, Dysart, Middlemount, Springsure, Cloncurry, Mount Isa, Hughenden, Julia Creek, Pentland, Richmond, Saint George, Surat, Talwood, Taroom & Wandoan in western Queensland are at risk of losing access to printed newspapers later this year. 

Due to the high freight costs to supply these products, NewsCorp have announced that they will cease supply of daily newspapers to these communities on September 26th, 2021. Because there is a high interdependency of logistics support for newspaper supply in regional QLD, we are fearful that this will also have negative consequences for newspaper products also supplied to these communities by Nine and Australian Community Media. 

As well as the QLD residents in these communities who will lose access to their essential daily printed news service, every business who sells these products will be impacted including Newsagents, Supermarkets, and other retailers like Petrol Stations.

If these towns and their residents lose access to a printed news service, they will lose their common connectedness to the rest of QLD and the essential cultural identity it brings for them. 

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to explore ways to subsidise essential media access in a printed format to rural and regional Queensland, the same way that other essential services are subsidised in regional areas to support equity and access.