Independent printer suffers an early blot with new WA press

A new printing press at the heart of WA’s latest media furore has endured a turbulent first week of operation amid a public spat between Seven West and an independent newspaper.

Post owner and editor in chief Bret Christian.

The new printing press at the heart of Western Australia’s latest media furore has endured a turbulent first week of operations.

After being unveiled to great fanfare earlier this year, the new Fair Maiden printing press successfully delivered its first print runs for two of its foundation customers but let down its key founder after running into problems.

The printing press also found itself embroiled in a spat between the plucky Fremantle Herald independent newspaper and the dominant Seven West Media, with the Herald accusing the Kerry Stokes-run media giant of using its printing monopoly to inflict “sheer commercial brutality” against it.

What should have been a milestone week for the new printing press and the Post Newspapers group that helped bring it to Australia ended with the Post – a much-loved and highly successful weekly newspaper delivered throughout Perth’s wealthy western suburbs – failing to reach mailboxes across its distribution area.

It was to have been the first run for the Post on the new printing press, but it is understood some significant teething issues derailed those plans. Post owner and editor in chief Bret Christian declined to comment when contacted by The Australian on Sunday.

The new press did, however, successfully deliver its maiden print runs for both the Echo and the Examiner community papers.

The Fair Maiden printing press installed in Perth.

The investment by the Post and a number of unnamed Perth businessmen on the new printing press is a big bet for the paper, given not only the financial commitment but also the lack of contingency if the teething issues persist.

Seven West owns what was the only printing press in WA before Fair Maiden. The Post had previously been open that its decision to invest in the new facility was inspired by its concerns about Seven West’s monopoly and the clash between Nine and Seven over the printing of the Australian Financial Review in WA.

While the unveiling of Fair Maiden had prompted speculation that the printed AFR could return to WA, it is believed that option has already been dismissed by the paper’s management.

The production mishap surfaced just as the publisher of the Fremantle Herald, Andrew Smith, went public with his attack on Seven West over their own printing negotiations.

The Herald was unable to print its weekly edition – with the publisher instead distributing a two-page A3 printout directing readers to its online edition – after talks broke down between the Herald and Seven West over a new printing contract.

Mr Smith said Seven West had offered the Herald a lock-in two-year printing contract with the “faint sweetener of print costs held to current levels”.

“In other words, West Australian Newspapers was trying to lock us into a contract, not for our benefit or our readers, but to prevent us from dealing with any other printer in WA or beyond. And all this under the threat, and now the reality, of refusing to print our paper when we stood our ground,” Mr Smith said.

“The reason for The West’s hard-knuckle approach was to put up a blocker for any clients who might be tempted to shift allegiance to the new printer cranking up in Perth this week.”

Mr Smith said he and his paper “now had a box seat experience of the sheer commercial brutality a monopoly in any industry can play”.

“The West rejected our print job and our money and cast us out despite a long standing commercial heritage in the industry for tackling any work ‘where there’s a buck to be made’,” he said.

“In our view The West’s compulsory ‘lock-in offer’, with the lethal ‘no-print’ sting in its tail, was very unfair and extremely rude to boot.”

A spokeswoman for Seven West Media said West Australian Newspapers had helped rescue several publishers who were stranded after a printing press in Mandurah shut down suddenly in 2023.

She said the company continued to print 19 other mastheads – including The Australian – and had recently negotiated long-term deals with those customers to extend their printing arrangements.

“In relation specifically to the Fremantle Herald, their 12-month printing contract ended on June 30. WAN attempted to strike a new two-year contract in good faith, at a flat rate, but the publisher declined to take up the offer, insisting instead on demanding a week-by-week arrangement. For obvious reasons relating to staff and resources, that is not acceptable,” she said.

“As has been reported, three mastheads printed by WAN until last week have chosen to terminate their relationship with WAN and have chosen to have their newspapers printed elsewhere. We wish them all the best in their endeavours.”

It is understood there is not yet any agreement in place for the Herald to be printed by Fair Maiden.