Country newspaper conference

Last week's Victorian Country Press Association conference, held in Melbourne, included an awards dinner where the best rural and regional newspapers were recognised for their efforts in editorial, photographic, advertising, design and campaign areas. It was an honour helping to judge the Overall Newspaper Excellence award, and I congratulation all the winners.

During the day, the conference heard from guest speakers including former independent MP Cathy McGowan, consumer phycologist Adam Ferrier (pictured above) and sports journalist Caroline Wilson. Deakin University Professor Kristy Hess presented the conference with preliminary findings (pictured below) from the research project she has been leading into the future of Australia's country press. I'm proud to be a part of this important study.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also attended the conference, announcing a promise that if his party wins the upcoming election, it will pay for a full page public notice every week in every regional newspaper in the state. This is a big step towards helping to secure an important revenue stream for these newspapers, and something our research has been pointing to for some time.