Under the Journalism Assistance Fund, the area of Anika Wells, Communications Minister, the Albanese government is helping out journalists and private media companies to the tune of $67.6 million.

The money part-pays for 2,000 journalists at about $39k per year, and a lot of news rooms are in on it. Ch.7 and Ch.9 get $27K, for instance, and lots of other smaller organisations, including SkyNews benefit. No foreigners are included, so The Guardian misses out. 184 newsrooms get help, with our money.

The organisations are not obliged to reveal the handouts.

Details here:

http://youtu.be/PjwHsD7Laek?si=teR_foMHL9O_j7kk

along with confirmation by AI

Hi ttbn,

Not sure what your point is here, the Australian taxpayer subsidies a lot of groups within the economy, example farming, mining, manufacturing, the arts etc, why should media be any different?
BTW Who is One News Australia, a One Nation mouth piece, but I have no problem with them producing "News".

"the Journalism Assistance Fund, supporting over 2,000 journalists across 184 newsrooms." Given the modus operandi of extremists like ONE NATION, should they ever come to power, then it will be the one and only ONE NEWS, the only official news source delivering the official party line. Contrary opinion and news will not be tolerated in the ONE NATION PAULINE HANSON Brave New World.

If Gina Reinhardt was to find $60 million under the cushions in her couch and decided to give it to various media groups, the usual morons would be screaming blue murder at the attempt to influence the press and demanding to know what she expected in return. But when Albo finds $60-odd million in taxpayers back pocket and decides to give it to various media groups.... all sweetness and light.

Anyone who thinks that this money won't influence the way the recipients report needs to see me about this bridge I have for sale. A free, independent and inquisitive press is absolutely vital to the functioning of a democracy. This is an insidious new development that successive governments will build on to try to capture a sceptical press.

Thankfully the legacy press is less important these days than any other time in the last two centuries thanks primarily to Musk's lead in making X a free speech site. Then again, the government is also trying through legislation to censor speech on social media as well... for the good of the kiddies we are assured!

That the media receiving this money have remained largely quiet about it, is a tell. That the opposition who will one day be able to use the same mechanisms for its own benefit have remained largely quiet, is a tell. That its mainly been exposed by the actions of One Nation explains why they are a threat to the major parties.

The Australian Federal budget is in serious trouble and has been for a decade. Budget deficits as far as the eye can see. Yet, we are told, solving the problems is impossible without cutting needed social security payments, health payments, defence etc.

Next time you are told that cutting spending is impossible, remember that they could spend $70-odd million without anyone barely blinking. Just think, $70 million here, $70 million there and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

Back in the 1980, the best Finance Minster the country's ever had, Peter Walsh railed against the lack of spending cutting by saying that he could think of 200 programmes off the top of his head that couldn't be justified on social equity or compassionate grounds and that those programmes needed to be cut. 200 then is probably 2000 now. They didn't have the political will then to do what was needed and neither party has the slightest inclination to do what's necessary now.

And so we circle the drain, hoping something will just turn up and meanwhile passing on the debt for our profligacy to our grandkids. Still, the subsidised journos are happy, so there's that.

The New Zealand Ardern government also helped pay the Leftist MSM wages. The current conservative government put a stop to it. If they ever, ever get back into government, would the allegedly conservative Coalition do the same thing?