Page 427 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 13 May 1992
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Valley View quite rightly uses its front page to question Mr Connolly over the matter. It is interesting, and pleasing, to see that Mr Connolly is now taking residents' concerns over the school crossing seriously, having called a public meeting.
We all, I believe, have a debt to the Valley View for its unfailing dedication and fearlessness in crusading for the Tuggeranong community. The Valley View, I believe, has played an important part in unifying the Tuggeranong community, in giving it a community voice and identity. In return, the Valley View over the past five years has grown and profited. In return for its fierce support of Tuggeranong, there are loyal businesses that have also grown and profited through their advertising in and support of the Valley View.
It has been a win-win relationship - pardon the pun - for the newspaper, local businesses and the community. But small local businesses in Tuggeranong are not fools. They do not support the Valley View solely for gooey reasons of sentimental loyalty. It makes good business sense to advertise in the Valley View. In December 1991 the Valley View employed not ACIL but Ken Bennett - I am sure that people on the other side of the house know who Ken Bennett is - a consultant, to survey and analyse readership.
The results were astounding, showing that the Valley View is read in 92 per cent of homes in the circulation area. There are more than 100,000 people in the Valley View circulation area, 71,000 of those people in Tuggeranong, and about 40,000 homes. That is impressive in anyone's terms. In Australia there is only one other suburban newspaper with as high a level of readership. Despite this, the Valley View is an ordinary business, working like any other business to make ends meet, and things are far from easy. The newspaper has been through some tough times and narrow escapes, but has survived; and, knowing the pugnacious tenacity of the managing editor, Mr Martin, who is well known to all of us in here, I am sure that it will continue to survive.
Having put you in the picture, Madam Speaker - or should that be "put you in the newspaper"? - in respect of the Valley View, I would like to tell you about a few incidents which I find disturbing. The first is the refusal of the Government-run leisure centre in Erindale to accept an offer by the Valley View to publish, free, information about sporting and community programs. Why will the Government leisure centre not use free advertising in the Valley View? I do not know.
The second issue is about government advertising. Recently the Valley View raised this matter with the Environment Minister, Mr Wood. Again, the Valley View stressed that it was more than happy to publish community information free of charge. The Minister has undertaken to make sure in this instance that his department is advised to provide the Valley View with any information of this nature. However, as recently as yesterday the Valley View informed me that the information is not being sent through - such information, for example, as road closures in Tuggeranong and other areas.
As far as paid advertising is concerned, the Valley View misses out. Let me stress that the Valley View does not really need the Government's advertising dollars these days; it is doing okay. It is the principle of the matter that counts. The Minister explained it to Mr Martin like this:
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