Federal Minister calls to close Bundaberg Now

A Queensland council is under the microscope for running the only ratepayer funded ‘news’ outlet in the nation with a Federal Minister issuing a call to action.

A call to action has been declared to close Bundaberg Regional Council's 'news' website, Bundaberg Now.

Ratepayers in Bundaberg are forking out millions of dollars to help fund the local council’s propaganda ‘news’ website, Bundaberg Now.

Since 2019, Bundaberg Now has been competing with media outlets by churning out articles which are mostly glowing reports about the council’s activities.

Now, the Federal Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher has called for concerns about the publication to be taken up with the ACCC, Queensland Electoral Commission, Australian Press Council and the Queensland Minister for Local Government.

He believes key aspects of the operation of Bundaberg Now “raise serious concerns from the perspective of those who recognise the importance of independent sustainable media outlets being able to hold Government to account”.

It comes after the Country Press Association flagged concerns about the council’s website to the minister.

In a letter of response sent to the Queensland Country Press Association, Minister Fletcher said “ … 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”.

The president of Country Press Australia (CPA) Andrew Manuel said he welcomed the Minister’s support and called on Bundaberg Regional Council to close down its ‘news’ division on the grounds it was “misleading and inappropriate for a local government to own and control a news outlet that reports on itself”.

Mr Manuel said it was concerning the council refused to provide the operating costs for Bundaberg Now and was investing millions of dollars of ratepayer money to produce local ‘news’ when there was already a local news media sector serving the Bundaberg region.

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

Mr Fletcher said “while the majority of these matters fall outside my portfolio responsibilities, and are in fact matters for the Queensland Government, I would like to provide a response and propose some pathways forward for the QCPA to address the assertion that Bundaberg Now is purporting to be an independent source of local news”.

The CPA intends to follow the Minister’s advice and take the cause up with the suggested authorities.

“This has galvanised support from the entire independent regional news media industry in Australia,” Mr Manuel said.

“We have several leading media and legal academics supporting our campaign.

“In our letter to Minister Fletcher and others I warned that we believe our concerns about Bundaberg Now are a ‘canary in the coal mine’ type warning and we are concerned for the fundamentals of democracy at a community level if this type of service is duplicated elsewhere.”

Earlier this year, local farmers questioned Bundaberg Regional Council over the amount of money being spent on Bundaberg Now in the wake of a rates increase.

The NewsMail has contacted Bundaberg Regional Council for comment.

Originally published as Federal Minister calls to close Bundaberg Now