It's time for our regions to get the Fair Go they deserve

Australian Regional Media is getting set to take the fight to Canberra to ensure the regions our journalists live in get a Fair Go.

Regional Australia is being ripped off - and it's time to do something about it.

For months now Australian Regional Media, owner of this masthead, has been talking to federal and state governments about how rural dwellers need a fair go.

We know they are spending less in the regions to communicate key initiatives - and now our investigations prove that regional Australians are not getting a fair crack everywhere. We die earlier, are less educated and have fewer job prospects.

It's why we're backing NewsCorp's Fair Go for Regional Australia campaign. ARM's 12 daily and more than 60 community titles join Fair Go from today.

ARM editorial director Bryce Johns said:  ''Between us we represent millions of readers. And they deserve a 'Fair Go'. Our voices must be heard.''

It is one of the first times the two big publishers have combined on an editorial initiative and Mr Johns said it was a positive. ''The regions will only get the clout if we are unified. We applaud NewsCorp's stance and encourage everyone with a stake in the regions to join the fight.''

Executive Editor for NewsCorp's Queensland regional and community papers Scott Thompson said he was thrilled to have the ARM network join the campaign.

"No matter the size of the town, the city or region our newspapers share the common purpose of demanding a better deal for the people they serve," Mr Thompson said. "The unified voice of NewsCorp's regional titles and ARM mastheads is a clarion call to our political leaders in Canberra."

Originally published as It's time for our regions to get the Fair Go they deserve