Mayor, Acting CEO Express Disappointment In Print Media Stoppage

Gympie Region Mayor Glen Hartwig and Gympie Regional Council Acting CEO Pauline Gordon have today expressed their disappointment regarding yesterday’s announcement of the end of The Gympie Times print editions.

“This decision was out of the hands of The Gympie Times and I truly feel for the staff,” Mayor Hartwig said.

“Regional and community news outlets play such a vital role in the democratic process. I understand they will maintain their digital presence but gone are the days where you can sit down on a Saturday morning and read the paper over a cup of tea or coffee.

“If our region is one thing it’s resilient. We look after our own and I would encourage the staff to hang in there.

“While elected officials can get a bit of a hard time on occasion, it’s all part of a healthy society.

“It’s a sad situation indeed,” he said.

Council Acting CEO Pauline Gordon echoed Mayor Hartwig’s sentiments saying the decision was disappointing.

“The local paper is so important, it connects community together and we need to recognise that our community is diverse, not everyone wants to read their news on a computer or device. Some of our community are not digitally literate.

There’s also the social inclusion, that routine of walking down to buy the paper – it builds social resilience and is good for our mental health as a community.” “Our region, along with the rest of Australia is still very much hurting from COVID-19,” Ms Gordon said. “It just goes to show, even the biggest and wealthiest companies are not immune to poor economic conditions.

“I feel for the staff. However I know the Gympie Times will continue to support and advocate on issues facing our community,” Ms Gordon said.