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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-10-30 Daily Xml
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BAROSSA AND LIGHT HERALD

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (15:57): That was a good speech, and I also congratulate the school. Last Thursday evening I attended a function in Tanunda to mark the centenary of the Barossa and Light Herald, one of the five local newspapers that circulate throughout my electorate. The Light electorate is well served by local media, and the competition helps keep them lively and relevant to the community.

While today I would like to pay respect to the hard-working and dedicated staff of the Barossa and Light Herald I do not in any way want to diminish the important role that The Bunyip, the Leader,The Plains Producer, and the Elizabeth and Gawler Messenger play in keeping my electorate informed—and, of course, there is my own quarterly newspaper Enlightened, which I believe makes a valuable contribution to informing the people of Light.

Strictly speaking, the first edition of the Barossa and Light Herald was not actually published until Thursday 10 May 1951. At that time Leslie Tilbrook, who was the son and nephew of the founding owners of the Northern Argus at Clare, and the owner of the Kapunda Herald, sold the Herald to the proprietor of the Barossa News, John Liddy. In turn, John Liddy merged the two papers to become what we know today as the Barossa and Light Herald. It is the history of the combined papers, on the back of the establishment of the Barossa News in 1908, that is being celebrated this year. Fairfax Media, via its ownership of Rural Press, is the owner of the Barossa and Light Herald.

Newspapers play a vital role in our community, and this is particularly true for rural and regional communities within my electorate. It is important for people to understand what is happening in their community, whether it be a council issue or the result of a cricket match or a football competition; it is particularly important in this era of globalisation that we never lose sight of the importance of local issues to communities, and our local newspapers are therefore an important conduit to maintain a cohesive and relevant community life.

Newspapers play many roles. One important role is to convey to its community what the community considers to be the proper values and character of that society. At the presentation, Mr Brian McCarthy, Deputy CEO of Fairfax Media Limited, said:

Any business that sustains over 100 years has many positive attributes: first, a product that the community desires; second, a product that adds value to their lives; third, a product that is passionately and parochially local; fourth, plant, equipment, technology and other resources. But most of all it is people, the people that make any business successful and sustainable where it's fun to work.

Both Brian McCarthy and Tony Swan, the manager of the Herald, paid tribute to the loyalty and commitment to the paper of their staff—and some of the staff I have been in contact with are people such as Graham Fischer, the editor; Michelle O'Reilly, journalist; Peter Argent, journalist; Brittany Dupree, journalist; and Nathan Gogoll, another journalist. There are many hard-working staff on the paper.

I wish to add my personal congratulations to the manager, Tony Swan, the editor, Graham Fischer, and all the staff, who I know try to give everybody a fair go in their paper. In his congratulatory letter to the paper the Prime Minister made the following observations:

A community newspaper is much more than just a business—it is a vital part of the life of a community. The Herald has been a vital part of the Barossa Valley and surrounding towns since 1908. The Barossa occupies a special place in modern Australia as the home of many of our best wines and a much-loved tourist destination...It is also a place with a significant history, much of which has been chronicled in The Herald over many years. The Barossa Herald has recorded the history of its community for 100 years and has become a vital part of that local history. The Herald—

According to our Prime Minister—

has kept the community aware of local news and events and has helped to build connections between generations of residents, families and businesses in the local community.

He goes on to say:

May that tradition continue in the century ahead and beyond.

All I can add to the Prime Minister's comments is: hear, hear!

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