The same day that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor lauded the importance of Australian journalism, the nightly news bulletin of the country's largest regional television broadcaster was being cut in half.
Mr Albanese and Mr Taylor spoke in lofty tones as they praised the Sydney Morning Herald's contribution to Australian society at the publication's 195th birthday celebration on Tuesday.
Mr Albanese said the publication had not only survived, but thrived in a disrupted media landscape.
Mr Taylor spoke of the need for a full range of news publications, and he feared what would happen to society if they did not exist.
But just up the road in Australia's largest regional media market, the mood among journalists and the wider community was decidedly dire. WIN Network had just announced it would be cutting NBN's nightly news bulletin from 60 to 30 minutes. The local weekend bulletin would be scrapped entirely.
Despite little evidence that government policy had helped prevent the continuing decimation of the regional media landscape in recent years, the offices of the Prime Minister and Opposition both sought to assure the Newcastle Herald that regional media was held in the same regard as metropolitan outlets.
A government spokesman said the government understood the importance of local news outlets in keeping communities informed and connected.
"We want to see regional outlets continue to be part of our vibrant and diverse media landscape," he said.
The Hunter's four government MPs, Sharron Claydon, Meryl Swanson, Pat Conroy and Dan Repacholi, issued a statement this week calling on WIN Network to commit to retaining all local journalists and staff.
However, when asked by the Herald, they were unable to say how much they had spent on local media advertising, compared to their spending on social media advertising since they came into power in 2022.
The government spokesman said the government was backing a strong and sustainable news sector through the $153.5 million News Media Assistance Program, with $67.6 million recently delivered to support more than 2000 journalists across 185 Australian news publishers.
This included $25.4 million for more than 90 regional media organisations.
It also suspended the commercial broadcasting tax for two years in last month's budget. This would deliver $111.3 million in financial relief to commercial broadcasters, including regional operators.
The government is attempting to force Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to sign up to its proposed Media Bargaining Incentive.
The plan would see large digital platforms taxed up to 2.25 per cent of Australian revenue unless they strike deals to pay for local journalism.
The draft laws will be introduced into Parliament later this year.
But Meta has hit back at the proposed legislation, arguing that it is a "grossly unfair" and "discriminatory tax".
"Our position is clear: this law is poorly designed, grossly unfair, and will fail to deliver a diverse and sustainable news industry," the company said in a blog post.
"We are vehemently opposed to this legislation."
Former television journalist and shadow minister for communications and digital safety Sarah Henderson said NBN was an integral part of the Hunter community.
"These changes to local news bulletins come at a very challenging time," she said.
"Labor has failed to provide certainty for regional media businesses to ensure support reaches local news organisations which need it most."
She said it was unclear if the government's proposed News Bargaining Incentive would strengthen Australian journalism.
"After a delay of more than two years, Labor's proposed laws include no detail as to how funds collected from the multinational tech platforms will be distributed," Ms Henderson said.
"Regional newsrooms don't even know if they will get a share of the pie."
Hunter-based Nationals senator Ross Cadel said the decision to compress NBN's nightly bulletin was further proof that the regional business model was not working.
"We need to find a better way of funding regional journalism without making it government dependent," he said.
"I will be advocating internally for a turnover tax, not just a company tax, on digital delivery companies in Australia.
"Their business model allows cost shifting quite easily. I would be putting a turnover tax on how much they bill in the country, and I would be assigning some of that to an independent media fund."
A WIN Network spokeswoman told the Herald this week that the company was investing more in regional news across Australia than any other broadcaster.
"Following the acquisition of NBN Television, its ongoing commitment to providing a voice for regional communities will continue," she said.
"Construction of a new state-of-the-art control room at the NBN studios in Newcastle will commence shortly, meaning NBN News will be truly produced locally and not from a control room in Brisbane, and opportunities to expand news content to digital platforms are currently being explored."
