Queenslanders will be surprised to hear that the Prime Minister’s Department no longer subscribes to the state’s most widely read newspaper, The Courier Mail.
Answers to Questions on Notice asked by Senator Scott Ryan have indicated that the Prime Minister’s staff are keen to read all about what is happening in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, but aren’t interested in life beyond the south-east states.
In 2010-11, the Prime Minister and her team are more interested in London’s Financial Times, the Lismore-based Koori Mail and Vogue Living than The Courier Mail, The West Australian, The NT News, The Mercury or The Adelaide Advertiser.
This is a shift from the previous year, when the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet subscribed to a much wider range of Australian dailies, including The Courier Mail.
Victorian Liberal Senator Ryan said without keeping an eye on the local papers, the Prime Minister’s Department would have little idea about what is happening in the lives of the more than 40 per cent of Australians (ABS data) who live in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
“Considering the Prime Minister spent $112,821 on newspaper and magazine subscriptions during the last financial year, why couldn’t she find a few dollars to show an interest in Australians outside Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra?” Senator Ryan, the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition, asked.
“I really think she would be better served learning about the issues that affect Queenslanders and getting her head out of the London papers,” he said.
“It is surprising that the Prime Minister is not even interested in news from Adelaide, where she grew up.”
“Together with the Coalition, I support cost cutting measures especially in the public service, but it should not be done at the expense of knowing what is happening around Australia and understanding the concerns of those outside Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.”