Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to talk today about local news and access to local news content. Local news is struggling all around Australia, including in Warringah. Our news media are in a David and Goliath battle for survival against social media and search engine giants. Contractions in the news industry outpace expansions, but people still need and want to hear about their local news to keep up with what is happening in their area. This was true during the pandemic era and remains true today with the increasing frequency of disasters such as floods, bushfires, climate change events.

We need to make sure people can access information. Of course we have large national broadcasters, but local news plays an incredibly important role in that. It is vital that trusted local, national and international news content remains accessible as widely as possible. The removal of trusted news sources from social media platforms means that people will be consuming more divisive and even extreme content that keeps them engaged. It is ripe for spreading misinformation and disinformation in an environment where it's now so prevalent.

I want to congratulate Kim Smee and an organisation called the Manly Observer for the launch of the app for their news website. They faced no choice but to look outside of social media to keep their content alive, and their new app was the second-most popular news app in Australia in Apple's App Store. It shows how much desire there is for trusted local news.