At a time when misinformation spreads quickly and trust in institutions is under pressure, public interest journalism remains one of the last safeguards of accountability and community cohesion.
Across Victoria it is the local masthead in print and online that turns up to council meetings, scrutinises public decisions, documents community life and ensures local voices are heard.
A landmark Deakin University study has confirmed that the Victorian government’s weekly advertising commitment to regional and rural mastheads has been a highly successful and internationally regarded policy model, giving publishers the stability to invest in journalism, retain staff and strengthen their civic role.
The research surveyed 85 Victorian Country Press Association mastheads and found that almost four in five publishers say the policy has provided the confidence needed to sustain and grow their newsroom investment, helping ensure communities remain informed and connected.
The report makes clear that government messaging delivered through trusted local outlets remains vital to healthy democratic participation. As the authors explain: “Public notices and essential information should be delivered through reliable local media channels that function as a journal of public record, because this is fundamental to democratic participation”.
Star News Group managing director Paul Thomas said the Victorian government deserved enormous credit for its leadership in this space.
“Victoria did something no other government had the courage or foresight to do,” Mr Thomas said. “It recognised that public interest journalism is civic infrastructure and backed it with a stable, practical and world-leading model. Other states are now following Victoria’s lead because the results speak for themselves.
“When a masthead is properly supported, in print and online, accountability thrives, participation increases and communities remain connected to the decisions that shape their lives.
“The Deakin report shows that Victoria has built a model that strengthens public interest journalism and gives communities confidence that trusted information will continue to be available.”
The study also highlights a growing policy gap in Melbourne’s fast-growing metropolitan fringe areas, where mastheads play the same role as their regional counterparts but are not currently covered by the commitment.
“Growth corridors such as Berwick, Cranbourne, Wyndham and Brimbank are now the size of major regional cities,” Mr Thomas said.
“These residents depend on their local masthead in print and online for trusted information about planning decisions, council accountability, emergency updates and civic life, yet they fall outside the current policy even though the democratic need is identical.
“Victoria has shown leadership by creating the strongest regional news model in the country. The logical next step is extending that certainty to metropolitan fringe communities whose population growth means they now function exactly like regional centres.”
The Deakin report concludes that mandated advertising remains the most stable, efficient and effective way for government to support public interest journalism, far more reliable than short-term grants or piecemeal schemes.
Mr Thomas said ensuring the policy evolved with population growth was the key to safeguarding journalism for the next generation.
“If the aim of the policy is to strengthen democracy and ensure credible public information reaches communities, then it should follow where communities are expanding. Metro-fringe Victorians deserve the same access to trusted mastheads in print and online as rural and regional Victorians.”
