Bundaberg Ratepayers Association backs calls for Bundaberg Now closure

Ratepayers have now backed calls to shut down a controversial council-run ‘good news’ website in Bundaberg, labelling it a ‘misleading and inappropriate’ use of council funds.

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith questioned whether councils should run “positive” news stories on its incumbent councillors during an election period.

Ratepayers have now backed calls to shut down council-run “good news” publication Bundaberg Now amid rising concerns over running costs.

The rates-funded publication has previously come under fire from a federal communications minister and Country Press Australia over its slanted coverage of Bundaberg Regional Council activities.

Now Bundaberg Regional Ratepayers Association has labelled Bundaberg Now a “misleading and inappropriate” use of council funds and resources.

The association posted to Facebook on Friday calling on the council to shut the website down.

“(The ratepayer association) takes issue with the fact this massive Bundaberg Regional Council owned and operated propaganda machine is a major drain on ratepayer dollars while people in our region pay a totally unreasonable and over-inflated level of general rates,” the post said.

Bundaberg Regional Ratepayers Association has called Bundaberg Now a "propaganda machine".

The call comes after Bundaberg MP Tom Smith questioned whether positive stories on a council-run website during an election campaign unfairly favoured an incumbent candidate.

He raised his concerns during a public hearing on January 31 for a parliamentary committee charged with implementing an electoral expenditure caps scheme for Queensland local governments.

Mr Smith asked if there should be a blanket ban on council media teams promoting their councillors during an election period.

“If council media continues to run positive stories about sitting councillors during the period of the election, has a candidate got a fair argument to say that is council ratepayer money being used to promote an incumbent councillor during an election, even though it is not explicitly asking for a vote?” he asked.

Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Alison Smith rejected Mr Smith’s suggestion, saying councils had the right to run positive or negative stories about “operational issues”.

She said she could not support a ban on council media stories and denied it was unfair to non-incumbent candidates.

“Councillors sit as chairs of committees that look after particular community interests and councillors have individual responsibilities that are operational,” she said.

“If you were to take that away from the communities, you would be creating a black hole where communities may miss out on important information.”

Bundaberg Regional Council is one the only councils in the nation to have its own “news” division, a concept which has proven controversial since its inauguration.

After its launch, the then federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher voiced his own concerns about the publication.

“It is troubling that this publication is presented to give the impression of being an independent news organisation when in fact it is fully funded by the Bundaberg Regional Council and its coverage of the Mayor and the council verges on hagiographic,” he said.

Country Press Australia president Andrew Manuel supported calls for the council paper to close.

“Bundaberg Now presents itself publicly as an independent local news service, but it’s not,” he said.

“It’s owned and controlled by council, and concerningly it now appears that the local government in Bundaberg spend more ratepayer money on journalism staff and ‘news’ resources than any genuine independent news media organisation in Bundaberg, which is extraordinary and entirely inappropriate.”

Bundaberg Now

The Bundaberg council was approached for comment but unable to reply at time of publication.

On its website, the council says its free online platform publishes stories in one place to reduce the need for multiple websites and social media accounts.

“Bundaberg Now promotes a positive image of the Bundaberg Region to the rest of Queensland, Australia and the world,” it reads.

“The website highlights ‘good’ news about local community organisations, businesses, events and people’s achievements along with community announcements such as emergency updates and weather warnings.”

The ratepayer organisation urged Bundaberg locals to “unsubscribe from BundabergNow and support your local independent media outlets – print, online, radio and TV”.

Originally published as Bundaberg Ratepayers Association backs calls for Bundaberg Now closure