Melbourne
Observer FREE COPY INSIDE
LILYDALE & YARRA VALLEY EXPRESS EDITION
Local and Independent. Not associated with any other publication in this area.
Phone: 1800 231 311.
www.LocalPaper.com.au
www.AdvertiseFree.com.au
‘The Local Paper’ is published by Local Media Pty Ltd
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2023
NOT THE TIME TO CUT COMMS
■ Supreme Court action is underway against Yarra Ranges Council over its decision to close meetings to the public. The Yarra Ranges Council is reducing its transparency to the public by closing the public gallery at Council meetings “un til further notice”. Meanwhile, Murrindindi Shire Council looks set to considerably reduce its communications to the public, by not renewing its rfegular full-page
LARGEST READERSHIP OF ANY LOCAL NEWSPAPER IN MURRINDINDI SHIRE Local and Independent. Not associated with any other publication in this area.
The Local Paper FREE Phone: 5797 2656, 1800 231 311. www.LocalPaper.com.au or www.AdvertiseFree.com.au
‘The Local Paper’ is published by Local Media Pty Ltd
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2023
MURRINDINDI COUNCIL AXES LOCAL ADS FOR RATEPAYERS Back to the bad old days
● Former CEO Margaret Abbey refused to speak with the press. ■ Murrindindi Council’s decision to stop using the Shire’s best-read media platform to communicate with ratepayers is a return to the bad old days of Murrindindi Council when then-CEO Margaret Abbey refused to communicate in any way with the readers of The Local Paper, says newspaper editor Ash Long. "Back then, Murrindindi residents had protest gatherings in the streets about the Council failing to properly communicate with the public. The Council should be the servant of the ratepayers, not the other way around,” Mr Long said. "The Local Paper worked hard with Ms Abbey's replacement, Craig Lloyd, and his team to restore positive communications in the local community. "If Murrindindi Council is of the mind to shun its public, to return to those horrible days of secrecy, The Local Paper will redouble its commitment to hold every Council executive, every Councillor, to account. "If the Council, its executives and its Councillors, think that they can abrogate their responsbilities towards transparency towards its ratepayers by reducing its communications through the largest media platform in the municipality, it needs to urgently reconsider its stance."
■ Murrindindi Council looks likely to significantly cut its communications with residents across the Shire. It looks set todrop its regular monthly fullpage advertisements in The Local Paper, which have a combined print-onlin readership of 9768 people. The Shire is looking to prefer its own online communications. This move will particularly affect older residents who do not regularly use the internet. Murrindindi Shire's Communications CoOrdinator, Rosie O'Kane, indicated that the Council will no longer take regular full-page advertising in the free Local Paper newspapers. The Council is going to rely increasingly on digital media, but will continue some advertising in the paid-circulation newspapers, the Alexandra Standard and the Yea Chronicle. According to the Audited Media Association of Australia, the Standard's paid sales has dwindled to just 1220 copies. The Chronicle now has just 335 sales. Those two papers have combined online subscriptions totalling 15. Latest Census figures indicate that the Murrindindi Shire population is 15,197. "Murrindindi Council is abandoning communications with many locals, especially seniors," said Local Paper editor Ash Long. "The opposition newspapers have 1555 sales, plus 15 online readers. 1570 copies serving 15,000 just doesn't cut it. "Paid circulation newspapers are a thing of the past. "On the other hand, the free Local Paper has a combined print and online readership of 9768. The median age of people in Murrindindi has increased from 48 to 50. "Many local seniors are the last adaptors to digital nedia. Many simply do not use the internet on a regular basis. Many cannot use the internet because of local connection problems, which the Council has been campaigning against." An estimated 37 per cent of the world's population – or 2.9 billion people – have still never, ever used the Internet, according to the United Nations. Locally, a proportion of seniors who do use the internet, only use it for emails with other family members. They are not connected with the Council through Facebook or Twitter. As recently as last last year, Murrindindi Council issued a media release about the unreliability of internet communications across the Shire. Cr Sandice McAulay was quoted to say: “Only the centres of Alexandra, Yea and areas in the Kinglake Ranges have access to NBN fibre-based internet and this only provides moderate internet data speeds. "All other areas of our municipality are serviced by either fixed-wireless or satellite services – neither of which is reliable or affordable enough for home or business use." In May last year, Cr Sue Carpenter produced a video, saying that internet connectivity across Murrindindi Shire was unreliable. Cr Carpenter said that the region had often suffered power and connectivity problems, and residents had been unable to reliably source upto-date information. The Council’s move abandons many of the area’s seniors, Mr Long said.
Shire opts for internet, the medium that it says is notoriously unreliable
● Cr Sue Carpenter, as Mayor in May last year, produced a video complaining about unreliable internet. Now, the Council wants to drop local press advertising, opting for increased internet messaging. ■ Murrindindi Shire Council is dropping major advertising with The Local Paper, which is the largest media platform in the municipality. The Council plans to boost internet comms in a bid to reach its 15,000 residents, yet recently acknowledged that digital communications across Murrindindi is fraught. “The lack of reliable broadband impacts our economy, jobs, education and well being,” said Cr Sue Carpenter, as Mayor last year. “Large areas of our Shire were without power, mobile phone and internet services for extended period due to extreme weather events,” Cr Carpenter said. “As a result people were unable to run businesses, work or study from home, they were unable to source up-to-date information.” In the video, the Council urged residents to advocate to Federal and State politicians that better and mor reliable internet services were required across Murrindindi. ● Current CEO Livia Bonazzi
ads with The Local Paper, the largest print and online media platform in the municipality. Murrindindi Council is likely to focus on internet messaging even though a big proportion of its senior residents do not use the internet. At Yarra Ranges, resident Darren Dickson has claimed that the Council has failed to engage the community in a meanginful way because it closed the public gallery. ● Turn to Page 9
Asphalt & Bitumen Spray Seal - Recycled Asphalt Driveways Potholes Car Parks Repairs
0435 788 758 0448 714 604
WILL’S TREE LOPPING Qualified Arborist For All Your Tree Lopping Needs Free Quotes. Fully Insured. No Job Too Big Or Too Small. Prompt Service. Tidy Work.
0405 129 850 5966 2855 FIREWOOD Murray River Redgum Yes! ... We Deliver. P: 1300 87 87 25 E: yarravalley@ brazzen.com.au
Fully Qualified, Fully Insured