Senate Hearing Reveals 27 Australian Council Areas Left With No Local News Outlets

The department admits it does not independently track newsroom closures and was ‘unfamiliar’ with data showing a 19 percent shrinkage in the media landscape.

Regional printing infrastructure has steadily shuttered across Australia over the past two decades. Emiliano Lasalvia/AFP via Getty Images

Dozens of Australian communities have been left without local journalism, amid revelations the federal government does not independently track the closure of newsrooms.

A Senate estimates hearing heard that 27 of Australia’s 567 local government areas no longer have a local news service following two decades of digital disruption.