APN News & Media Limited (APN) still cost cutting in regional media division and now advancing the aims of the Newman Government

Sadly, regional newspapers in the APN News & Media Limited (APN) stable are still in the grip of a cost cutting regimen:

Resilient local trading conditions assisted by a strong real estate pillar helped Australian Regional Media (ARM) to deliver an improved performance.

Revenue was down 8% to $99.0 million, with EBITDA down 17% to $10.5 million.

Consistent with the broader publishing industry, ARM was negatively impacted by the weak agency market, with National revenues down 20%. ARM continues to focus on connecting with its audience and has grown its weekly aggregate audience by 8% to 1.4 million since the beginning of the year.

ARM continues to effectively manage its cost base and delivered year on year cost savings of $6 million in the half.

[HALF YEAR FINANCIAL REPORT AND APPENDIX 4D:APN News & Media Limited and controlled entities for the period ended 30 June 2014]

Rather worryingly, in Queensland APN became involved in furthering the political aims of an increasingly unpopular government of the day, by participating in a skewed 'community consultation' campaign conducted by the Newman Government, the Strong Choices questionnaire.

The Guardian 23 April 2014:

If you're not interested in raising taxes, reducing services or selling off assets, then the Queensland government doesn't want to hear from you.

Queensland treasurer Tim Nicholls has declared the government's “Strong Choices” campaign a success after the first week of operation, with more than 16,000 people making submissions through the Strong Choices website on how to reduce government debt.

Using an interactive questionnaire, people can suggest raising taxes, selling or leasing state assets, and reducing government services to reduce government debt.

In a statement on launching the site, which is part of a $6m campaign, Nicholls said the aim was to canvass Queenslanders’ views.

“This unprecedented level of community consultation and communication will enable every Queenslander who wants to take part to have the opportunity to provide detailed feedback on exactly what their priorities for the state are and to make their own choices as to how they would reduce the state’s debt,” he said.

However, the questionnaire does not allow you to submit your results if you choose not to raise taxes, cut services or sell off assets. If you complete each page but don't reduce the debt by the approved amount, you're unable to continue on to submit your results and the section on prioritising government spending.

Screenshot of the error message on the Strong Choices site.

This ensures any responses collated by the Queensland government will only include those who agree with the premise that the debt must be reduced to between $50bn and $55bn, skewing the results.....

Not content with manipulating the range of possible choices respondents had, the survey also apparently botched a graph:

The graph used on the site also emphasises the “unsustainable” range of debt, as it mixes two different axis increments – the “sustainable” section increases in lots of $10bn, whereas the unsustainable section increases in lots of $5bn, and has a greater distance between tick marks.

Brisbane-based software developer James Ottaway posted this new version of the graph to Twitter, demonstrating how it would look with a consistent axis:

Closely aligning newspaper mastheads with the Liberal-Nationals coalition is not a way to increase newspaper readership and boost profitability one would have thought and, is a move more akin to News Corp's business model which sees The Australian losing money hand-over-fist year in and year out since 2008.

With The Canberra Times revealing this week that; Operating losses at The Australian widened from $19.3 million to ­$27.1 million against a budgeted loss of $7.56 million, according to the last weekly internal operating accounts for 2012-13. Revenue tumbled from $135 million to $108 million, versus a budgeted $133 million.

Yet another Northern Rivers' council turns its back on coal seam gas miner Metgasco Limited

ABC News 20 August 2014:

Gas company Metgasco says it's shocked and disappointed by a north coast council move against the gas industry.

At last night's council meeting the Richmond Valley Council made clear its view on unconventional gas mining.

The motion was as follows -

"That the Richmond Valley Council believes that given its current understandings and existing knowledge base around the unconventional gas industry, the potential effects on the environment, the uncertainty surrounding fracking and the strongly expressed community views against the unconventional gas industry that it cannot support the development of the unconventional gas industry in this local government area at this time. Further to this, that Council affirms its strong opposition to fracking in any form."

The motion passed, five votes to two with the Mayor Ernie Bennett and Councillor Sullivan voting against it.

Echo NetDaily 20 August 2014:

The reversal in council’s previous position follows the June meeting when Cr Robert Mustow received unanimous support for council to review the policy.

Deputy mayor Sandra Humphrys accepted Gasfield Free declarations  from the community of  Codrington, following their celebration on the weekend after 93 per cent of Codrington voted to remain Gasfield Free.

Richmond Valley resident Eric van Beurden, who was at the meeting, told Echonetdaily it was heartening to see that council has listened to locals’ concerns and ‘taken a stand in support of the stated wishes of the vast majority of their constituents’.

‘Several speakers presented summary results from all community surveys in the shire at the meeting, showing that between 85 per cent and 93 per cent of Richmond Valley residents want to remain Gasfield Free,’ Dr van Beurden said.

‘Councillors at last night’s meeting spoke about changing their position from one of neutrality to one of opposition based on several things, including widespread community opposition and information now available on the risks of unconventional gas mining,’ he said.

Shorter Tony Abbott: Liberal Party fraud & corruption all Labor Party's fault

It is becoming harder and harder to tolerate the arrant folly on display when Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his ministers trot forth their justifications for unlawful behaviour, bad policy, foreign relations gaffes or garden variety political fibs. 

This assertion quoted in The Guardian on 18 August 2014 has to be the most brazen example so far of their blame Labor mantra:

In the wake of the resignation of two NSW Liberal MPs over corruption allegations, the prime minister has said the “problem” was the former Labor NSW government banning property developer donations in the first place…..

“Who exactly is a developer? That can sometimes be a difficult question. [They] also introduced legislation to limit the total amount of donations and political parties need to raise money,” he told 2GB on Monday morning…..

As with many of Abbott's utterances, this was a distortion of fact which a look at Hansard records quickly dispelled.

The NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard of 1 December 2009 gives a clear definition of property developer:

Meaning of "property developer"

The Bill defines a property developer to be:

(a) a corporation engaged in a business that regularly involves the making of relevant planning applications by all on behalf of the corporation in connection with the residential or commercial development of land, with the ultimate purpose of the sale or lease of the land for profit, or

(b) close associates of such a corporation.

Any activity engaged in by a Corporation for the dominant purpose of providing commercial premises at which the corporation or a related body corporate will carry on business is to be disregarded for the purpose of determining whether the corporation is a property developer.

A close associate of a corporation includes:

(a) directors and officers of the corporation and their spouses, and

(b) a related body corporate of the corporation (within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001 of the Commonwealth),

and

(c) persons whose voting power in the corporation or a related body corporate is greater than 20% and their spouses.

That same day Hansard records the bill being passed in the Lower House and the current Coalition Premier of New South Wales (then Shadow Treasurer), along with the rest of the Opposition, supporting this election funding reform:

Mr MIKE BAIRD (Manly) [6.31 p.m.]: The Opposition does not oppose the Election Funding and Disclosures Amendment (Property Development Prohibition Bill) 2009 as we strongly support the need for comprehensive campaign finance reform. From day one the Leader of the Opposition said that transparency, honesty and accountability should be returned to government in this State…..

However, I acknowledge that both sides of politics have received donations from areas and industries that have caused concern within the community and potentially removes objective assessment of legislation or reforms. The community has the perception that when particular groups or individuals fund a party it is difficult

for politicians to make objective assessments. That perception problem must be addressed. The problem is across both sides of the political divide. I accept that there are many in this place who do not have a potential conflict; nevertheless, the perception remains and it is difficult to determine whether people are being influenced

by donations. In my inaugural speech 2½ years ago I noted that donations were at a corrosive level in this State and that significant donation limits, combined with stronger public funding, can ensure that electors are properly informed and have confidence in the integrity of the electoral process.....

That property developers appearing before ICAC are well aware of the fact that they are property developers within the meaning of relevant legislation is nowhere better illustrated than by former Newcastle mayor Jeff McCloy’s High Court writ which reportedly states:

‘‘Each of the first plaintiff (Cr McCloy) and third plaintiff (North Lakes Pty Ltd) is therefore a property developer within the meaning of section 96GB(1) of the Elections Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act.’’

By March 2014 NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption investigations Credo and Spicer were exposing the the degree to which politicians, political parties, lobby groups and individuals were flouting state election funding and donation disclosure laws.

 On 27 May 2014 NSW Premier Baird announced the formation of an expert committee which would investigate and recommend to government further reforms to NSW election funding laws.

A background paper produced by this committee gives an Overview of Australian Election Funding and Disclosure Regimes.

Excerpt:

New South Wales

In 2008, in-kind campaign contributions (including the provision of offices, computer equipment and vehicles to candidates for little or no payment) were capped at $1,000. In 2009, political donations from property developers were banned in response to public concerns about corruption and undue influence in the NSW planning system. This ban was later extended to prohibit donations from the tobacco, liquor and gambling industries.

In 2010, the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981 (NSW) (the NSW Act) was further amended to impose caps on the value of political donations to parties, groups, candidates, elected members and third-party campaigners. As a result of these reforms, the largest donation a single donor can make in a financial year is $5,000 to a political party or group, and $2,000 to a candidate, elected member or third-party campaigner (adjusted for increases in the CPI). The applicable NSW donations caps for the 2014-15 financial year are $5,700 for donations to parties and groups and $2,400 for donations to candidates, elected members and third-party campaigners.

The shift in New South Wales toward caps and bans on donations culminated in the O’Farrell Government’s 2012 amendments banning political donations from corporations and other entities. This ban was recently declared invalid by the High Court on the grounds that it impermissibly burdened the implied freedom of political communication under the Commonwealth Constitution. The result of the High Court’s decision is that section 96D of the NSW Act applies as it did before the 2012 amendments.

On the basis of this outline it would appear that the majority of witnesses giving evidence at Operation Spicer hearings are either in breach of state electoral funding and donation laws or have knowledge of these breaches and, fraud and corruption are systemic within the NSW political system.

A system which has been advantageous to Prime Minister Abbott through donations received from the Warringah Club and Warringah Forum. 

It would appear that Abbott's statement of 18 August this year is merely a reworking of an excuse he found successful in the past, when his political fund-raising arm was found to have breached electoral laws and one of his principal donors (a property developer) failed to make required disclosures.

Unfortunately for Tony Abbott the Australian electorate now has a better understanding of how political donations are solicited and his tired old 'ignorance of the law' excuse will no longer be tolerated by a great many voters.

Elite Energy's Triathlon Festival at Yamba NSW, 5-6 September 2014

Elite Energy website:

YAMBA is becoming NSW's own North Coast early season festival with a difference. This year an Olympic Distance Triathlon will be the main event, and the festival will become the first event in our 2014-2015 triseries season.

With stylish village charm, pristine beaches, national parks and award winning restaurants, Yamba is a unique holiday or lifestyle experience for the family. Explore the myriad of waterways, stroll the uncrowded beaches, go swimming, fishing or surfing but most of all discover Yamba's friendly hospitality all year round.

Yamba is situated at the mouth of the Clarence River in Northern NSW, the biggest river on the east coast of Australia. Yamba has a relaxed lifestyle with access to all services and is within easy reach of Ballina, Lismore and Grafton. Yamba is only 3 hours from Brisbane, 2 hours from the Gold Coast and only a 2 hour flight from Sydney.

Looking for accommodation? Check out our local partners here »

Download timetable as PDF