Dunnet family praised in parliament for newspaper legacy

The Dunnet family has been praised in federal parliament for its long involvement in country newspapers through the North Western Courier.

Member for Parkes Mark Coulton acknowledged the significant contribution of the Dunnet family, including former co-proprietors Ian and Wanda Dunnet OAM, and the family’s 104-year ownership of The Courier.

The Courier and its sister publications, the Wee Waa News, Gunnedah Times and North West Magazine, were purchased by Mark and Susie Slack-Smith, now operating the mastheads through Collective Media Pty Ltd.

“On the 1st of October a significant event happened in the north-west part of New South Wales, in my electorate: the North West Courier — the newspaper based out of Narrabri—changed hands after 104 years. It has been in the Dunnet family since 1920, when JS Dunnet purchased that newspaper and its been in various members of that family, and recently the third generation, Wanda and Ian Dunnet, have been managing that newspaper,” Mr Coulton said.

“It is an institution not only in Narrabri but in Wee Waa, where they run the Wee Waa News, and more recently in Gunnedah, where they have the Gunnedah Times as well as the North West Magazine.

“The Dunnets have shown the importance of having a newspaper that is connected to the community, understands the community, does not run an agenda but shares the highs and the lows of those communities through the newspaper and deals with contentious issues from time to time.”

Mr Coulton said he is pleased that Mark and Susie Slack-Smith have purchased the mastheads.

“I know that the residents of the towns that are serviced by these newspapers are really pleased that Mark and Susie have taken on the ownership and that they will see these papers continue,” he said.

Mr Coulton said there had been contentious issues that The Courier has been not afraid to be involved in.

“Probably in my memory, the first one would be the introduction of irrigated cotton and the change in the landscape in the Narrabri and the Namoi Valley, from largely being a grazing area to more intensive irrigation,” Mr Coulton said.

“We’ve seen the coal seam gas industry come and that’s still an issue that is bubbling away about the introduction of coal seam gas into the Pilliga forest. And probably more recently the Inland Rail and the route of Inland Rail through Narrabri. The Courier has been instrumental in all sides of these arguments, all opinions of this to be able to have their say.

“Particularly in recent times when the Namoi Valley Independent closed down, the Dunnet family—Ian and Wanda—started a new newspaper in Gunnedah, and the Gunnedah Times is a very, very solid newspaper that now is servicing that community. I just want to touch on that time; so during the pandemic, ACM received significant funds from the Commonwealth government to keep their newspapers going, their journalists employed. During that time, ACM closed down the Namoi Valley Independent.

“They gutted out the Moree Champion. In more recent times, the Dubbo Daily Liberal, which services a community of over 50,000 people, now only has a paper on Saturday, that has gone largely online.

“ACM have gone through rural newspapers like a mob of locusts. They’ve hollowed them out, sold their real estate and left a shell behind. So it’s so important that we are seeing these newspapers in private hands.

“And also, in my electorate, we’ve got newspaper people, owners like Lucie Peart, who is not only based in Gilgandra but now has newspapers in Narromine, Warren and Nyngan, and Lee O’Connor, who runs the Coonamble Times. These people are committed to their communities.

“They understand the importance of journalism and are committed to it. I am so disappointed at the actions of ACM, how they’ve treated the people of regional Australia with contempt, and that’s unforgivable.

“I’m looking forward to catching up with country newspaper proprietors, editors and journalists next week in Dubbo for their awards, because they need the support.

“Journalism has been dealt a shocking blow by these corporate takeovers, but in the state of the Narrabri Courier and others, they’re now in safe hands, and I thank the Dunnets for what they’ve done in 104 years.”