Council tight-lipped on cost of Bundaberg Now ahead of rebrand

As Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn pulls the plug on Bundaberg Now, her council has refused to reveal its true cost ratepayers, despite mounting pressure for transparency.

Bundaberg Now shutdown sparks debate over council-funded news site.

Bundaberg Now, the council-run newsroom once criticised for competing with independent media outlets, will be scaled back and rebranded, with Bundaberg Regional Council confirming it will no longer accept community-submitted stories from August 4.

Instead, the site will transition to BRC Now — a stripped-down version that will publish council service updates, project information, and event notices only.

The decision comes after years of criticism about ratepayer money being used to fund a media platform in a region already served by multiple independent outlets.

Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn announces the transition of Bundaberg Now to a council-focused news platform, BRC Now.

Mayor Helen Blackburn, who committed to reviewing Bundaberg Now during her 2024 election campaign, said the move was about bringing council back to basics.

“A council that focuses on the essentials is not a council that uses your rates to compete in the news media market or undermines the viability of local businesses and the jobs that exist to report the news,” Ms Blackburn said.

“Put simply, Bundaberg Now as we know it, is not part of a council’s core business.”
The announcement drew a mixed response.

Some welcomed the decision as a way to save ratepayer money.

“Just shut it down and save the ratepayers some money,” said Kym Kneebone.

Others questioned the move, pointing to the loss of a key local information source.
“I’ve found Bundaberg Now to be a great place to find information on local events and community groups… I’ll miss the connection, updates, and positive community stories,” said Sasha Job.

Mayor Helen Blackburn addresses media about the future of Bundaberg Now and the council’s renewed focus on essential services following the announcement of the 2025/2026 budget.

The announcement came at a time of significant belt-tightening for the council.
In late 2024, more than 30 voluntary redundancies were accepted as part of a restructure to address a $30 million budget shortfall.
More recently, Bundaberg ratepayers were hit with a 6.5 per cent rates hike and increased water charges.

“While I understand some will be disappointed that community content will no longer be published via this channel, the Bundaberg region continues to be well served by a strong and independent local media landscape.”

NewsMail editor Shelley Strachan welcomed the decision — but said it should have come sooner.

“At a time when our local councils are struggling and decrying diminishing financial support from the federal government, and ratepayers are struggling under the cost-of-living crisis, it’s ludicrous to funnel so much money into an exercise like this,” Ms Strachan said.

Wide Bay Burnett Editor News Corp Shelley Strachan. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“That is clearly not the role of local government.

“Bundaberg Now blurred the lines; it claimed to be ‘an independent news source’ but obviously was not.

“When you have government at any level trying to muscle in on independent media, you have a problem.

“The role of the media is to hold government to account. The two need to be completely independent and separate to each other.”

The council has not released a detailed breakdown of how much Bundaberg Now cost over the years.
It has been contacted for clarification on the costs.
The platform was internally built, but is believed to have drawn funding through staffing, content production, web and plugin expenses, and marketing.
A Bundaberg Regional Council spokesman said Bundaberg Now was managed by the existing communications team, which supported all council departments and used the site as one of several tools to share information with residents.
He said the platform did not have its own separate budget, with related expenses captured in overall departmental reporting and audited internally and externally.
Ms Blackburn said that as BRC Now would no longer accept contributed content, the impact on staff hours would be minimal, noting a broader reduction in staffing had already occurred in last year’s council restructure.
Some local community groups expressed disappointment at the loss of a free promotional tool.

Bundaberg 4WD Club said it was one of their best avenues.

“[Our] free promotion is being taken away, not just for us, but any club that uses this site as a means of getting known in our local area,” it said.
From August 4, BRC Now will focus solely on council-related matters.
Its website and social media accounts will remain live with a refreshed look.
The last day for community groups to submit non-council content is July 31.

Originally published as Council tight-lipped on cost of Bundaberg Now ahead of rebrand