August 28th, 2026Kyle’s Rant

We are about to tick over our 13th year of operation in the Central Highlands, and it’s never cost you a cent to pick up a copy of The Local; that’s a deliberate choice, not an accident.
Because a free magazine reaches more people than a paywalled one ever could, and getting the real story on your council, your community and your local businesses into as many hands as possible has always mattered more to us than making it exclusive.
In print, on the website and across social media, we blast out four stories a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year. You don’t always get to see all the yarns as we weed out the boring press releases, so they don’t lob on our featured stories page – you’re welcome…
Don’t get me wrong, a few years ago at a virtual classroom the guys from Google tried to suggest a paywall was the way to go. Almost convinced I asked for a business case of a same-sized newspaper somewhere in the world that a paywall worked for – they said they would get back to me. Still waiting.
This passion for our community was born in some ways from the tardiness of the old Fairfax paper which took and took from our community until things got a little hard. (Donna and I both worked on The Advocate). During the pandemic they packed up their eight-page excuse for a newsletter and their bat and ball. Meanwhile we went weekly when our towns and villages needed not just news but a bit of a giggle fast and often.
In my career as a photographer, and more recently a photojournalist, I have been stung, bitten, burnt and had fibreglass shards removed from my forearms by my great mate and partner in crime, Donna. And that’s all in an effort to get close to the action and get the best shot, talk about sacrifice.
And over the years we have partnered with all the festivals for virtually cost price to ensure they too have longevity.
In terms of business our advertisers cover a lot of it, but not all of it. Delivery, hosting, journalists, photographers, proper human sub editors, and those bastards at the ATO, must all be paid.
But to ensure our longevity, and so we can see out another 13 years, not just for you but for your family and the community we all live in, where a local paper cuts through the noise of social media, we’re inviting you to become part of the story. If you can, to lend a hand.
If The Local has ever told you something worth knowing, you’ve been in it or just enjoyed a giggle, please chip in at one-off or monthly, whatever suits. And if you are an anti-donator chuck in an advert and not only support your local newspaper, get a bit of business on the way. Chip in rant over…