FOR MEDIA MONDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 1981
OPENING OF NEW PREMISES FOR EASTERN SUBURBS NEWSPAPERS
It is a pleasure to be here today to open these new premises
which are symbolic of the success of Eastern Suburbs Newspapers
, in the printing and publishing field.
This firm has been involved in newspapers and printing since
the Hannan family took over the local Randwick newspaper
in the 1930s and, in fact, Francis Hannan first started
business in Randwick in 1887, so the origins of the progressive
enterprise which is . reflected by these splendid new premises
can be traced back nearly a hundred years. Eastern Suburbs
Newspapers as such was formed twenty years ago as a partnership
with John Fairfax and Sons and the Australian Consolidated
Press, but third generation Hannans remain at the helm of
Eastern Suburbs Newspapers.
The kind of development which these new premises represent,
where an old established firm searches out opportunities for
modernisation and expansion, shows not only a well-informed
confidence in the future of this industry, but also the kind
of drive and initiative which the Government seeks to encourage.
Without question, the centrepiece of these new premises is the.
new Harris M200 Press which has been installed, and which
makes this company one of the most up-to-date printeries in
Austkalia, and should provide a sound basis for future
expansion of the firm's activities. This new press is
capable of printing up to thirty thousand copies per hour
in four colour high quality form and I am looking forw-ard
to pressing the button shortly to set it rolling.
The Press has been fully installed only in the last few weeks
but I understand that the company has already received a numbE~ r
of new publication contracts, including many for monthly
magazines. But for this new Press, some of these contracts
would almost certainly have gone to overseas firms, and it is
a matter for congratulation that publishing work which would
have been commissioned outside Australia can now be carried
on competitively in this country. / 2
-2-
I understand that Eastern Suburbs Newspepers now produces more
than two hundred hewspapers and magazines on behalf of a -wide
range of clients. In addition, this firm publishes five free
weekly suburban newspapers on its own account, and with the
recent launching of the Macquarie Courier, I understand that the
total circulation of these five newspapers is well over
300,000. The introduction of the Macquarie Courier itself
illustrates the company's willingness to move ahead, to
perceive a need in the community and take action to meet it.
Eastern Suburbs newspapers has long recognised the niche in
the newspaper world of the free suburban weekly in the large
cities of Australia. Free suburban newspapers have-their--ow
distinctive objectives, in particular, to provide relevant
local information to large suburban communities, and it is
difficult to imagine that the needs which these newspapers
meet could be satisfied in any other way. I believe that*
people need to recognise such newspapers, even though they are
distributed free of charge, do not rely on advertising alone,
because suburban weeklies which fail to provide interesting
and relevant local news seldom manage to survive. By providing
information about local events and services, such newspapers
can also make a contribution to the development of that*
sense of local community which can so easily be absent in
large cities, and Isuch information can also enable significant
numbers of people to discover for themselves , opportunities
and activities which they would not-otherwise have realised
were available.
I believe there is a good deal of evidence of a renewed sense
of community in many of the suburbs of Australia's great
metropolitan centres, a willingness to take part in community
activities and to take pride in the community itself. Such
renewal will give added strength, stability and confidence to
our nation because there can be no substitute for an informed
and interested community, and a community's political
institutions tend to function more democratically and responsibly
when-there is a genuine sense of community identity.
Suburban newspapers have the special responsibility of
keeping the activities of local councils before the public
mind. I know that Eastern Suburbs Newspapers employs journalists
specifically to cover discussions and decisions of the
coun ' cils in the circulation areas of their ~ papers. The
activities of local government are seldom likely to be
reported by the metropolitan dailies or through the
electronic media, and yet the decisions of local councils of te~ n
affect people in very immediate and significant ways. There
is a very real challenge and responsibility for suburban
weeklies in this connection, for local government affairs
very often receive far less attention than they should. / 3
3
The local community needs to know about'the decisions that
local authorities are taking, and there can be little doubt
that a significant indicator of the success and calibre of
suburban weeklies is the quality of their reporting of the
affairs of local government as well as the wider interests
which they reflect. It is no doubt with some regrets that
you move a few kilometres down the road from your more
familiar premises but the challenges to keep performing
a useful role in the community and to keep prospering in a
highly competitive industry remain the same.
These new premises are an indication that this firm has met
these challenges in the past, and they also hold out t'he
promise of further success in the future. I wish Eastern
Suburbs Newspapers every good fortune in their future
enterprises, and have much pleasu in declaring these
' premises open. oOo---