'Stump up': Opposition calls on government to fund local news

It comes as historic ACM mastheads such as Moree Champion, Tenterfield Star, The Inverell Times, Glen Innes Examiner, Country Leader, Dungog Chronicle, Gloucester Advocate and Milton-Ulladulla Times will cease publishing a weekly print edition.

On August 29, Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell described that development as "gut-wrenching".

"The Gloucester Advocate circa 1905 and Dungog Chronicle circa 1888 have been crucial sources of information for our residents for more than century and now we will miss out because the Minns Labor Government didn't follow through on its promise," he said.

"The premier needs to do the right thing and stump up the funding before more mastheads shut shop and more people lose their livelihoods."

"Since my election as an MP in 2021, I have proudly supported both newspapers and was committed to maintaining that backing as one way to communicate with my constituents," Mr Layzell said.

Under questioning by Nationals MLC Sarah Mitchell at Budget Estimates on August 28 Premier Chris Minns admitted he was unaware of a letter from Australian Community Media (owner of this publication) managing director Tony Kendall and Country Press NSW president Lucie Peart requesting the funding be delivered.

Mr Minns also said he was unaware of how many publications had shuttered in the past year in regional NSW.

He attributed the closure of some regional newspapers to Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, abandoning a deal to pay for journalism in March this year.

The Minns government promised an additional $3 million in government advertising for regional print media before the 2023 NSW state election.

The promised expenditure was scaled back to $1 million a year in September.

NSW Government advertising spend in regional newspapers fell by more than 40% in the last 12 months.

ACM is the leading publisher of regional newspapers in NSW and around Australia.