Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week the Courier Newspaper Group is being relaunched as the Federal Publishing Company Community Media Group. The newly named group is relaunching three of its stable of community newspapers—the Southern Courier, the Inner West Courier and my local newspaper, the Wentworth Courier. The group was the first community newspaper group to go to colour and gloss printing, and to do so within newspaper deadlines. The new-look newspapers produced this week will continue that great tradition of innovation.

The Federal Publishing Company Community Media Group constitutes an extraordinary newspaper business, in large measure due to its proprietors, the Hannan family. The Hannan family started business in the eastern suburbs, in Randwick, as butchers in 1887, and they moved into newspapers in 1934. From this point they built a stable of newspaper and other publishing titles which now constitute Australia’s largest privately owned media business. Their flagship title, the Wentworth Courier, is an outstanding publication both in editorial and financial terms. The ‘Wenty’, as we call it in the eastern suburbs, breaks news and is often a source of news and stories for major metropolitan dailies such as the Sydney Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph.

The printing division of the family business operates under the banner of the Independent Print Media Group and operates major printing plants in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The total full-time staff of this eastern suburbs family business employed across the printing and publishing businesses amounts to 2,700 people. The wider group, under the banner of F Hannan Pty Ltd, is 100 per cent Australian owned.

Today the proud family tradition of the Hannans continues with the fifth generation of family members employed in the business. The family members in the business include their chairman, John Hannan, from the third generation, Michael Hannan from the fourth generation is the executive chairman, Kim O’Connor from the fourth generation is the chief journalist, Lindsay Hannan and Stephen Hannan work in the printing business and David Hannan works in the property business. From the fifth generation there are James Hannan in the interactive business, Cassie Hannan in the consumer magazines, Adrian O’Connor in the consumer magazines and Richard O’Connor in their marketing department. That is a phenomenal contribution; I would think unprecedented in any family business in Australia.

I want to commend the Hannans not just for their commitment to family and business but also for their commitment, beyond reporting, to the community which I have the honour of serving in this place. I would like to make special mention here of Kim O’Connor, a fourth generation Hannan and the chief reporter for the Wentworth Courier. Kim has been reporting on the Wentworth community for more than 20 years. She not only reports on the issues facing the community; she also tries to be part of the solution, which has seen her serve in many capacities from council committees to participating very recently in a community roundtable we organised together to try to find a solution to the rising scourge of graffiti.

The Hannans sponsor local rugby, local small business awards, community events, such as the famous People and Pets Day in Lyne Park at Rose Bay, and many charities. They are a proud local family with a strong sense of community. In this important week for them, with the relaunch of three of their community newspapers and the Federal Publishing Company Community Media Group, I offer them my sincere congratulations and best wishes for their continued success in nurturing the ideals that we all share of family, community and enterprise.

Question agreed to.