Bundaberg Regional Council will publish public notices online following the closure of the NewsMail print edition.
These will appear on Bundaberg Now at https://www.bundabergnow.com/council-notices/ and the Council website.
Chief executive Steve Johnston said many pieces of legislation require certain notices to be published in a locally circulating newspaper.
“With there being no locally circulating newspaper it’s a grey area whether notices need to be published in print,” Mr Johnston said.
“Council used to pay around $350 for a regular advertisement in the NewsMail. A similar-size ad in the statewide Courier Mail would cost $3500.
“We’ve had advice that online news publications satisfy the definition of ‘newspaper’ and we consider that option to be more effective and cheaper for ratepayers.”
Mr Johnston said published notices are required for matters including Council meetings, road closures, tenders and some development applications.
Mayor Jack Dempsey wrote to Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe last year, asking for changes to legislation regarding Council notices and the Minister responded favourably.
“We’re committed to making our notices available to the widest possible audience,” Mr Johnston said.
“Bundaberg Now receives more than 75,000 visitors per month. The Bundaberg Now and Council Facebook pages each have more than 24,000 followers.
“We’ll use these media to keep the community informed.”
Council will also advertise a link to its online notices at a discounted price in the Wide Bay edition of the Courier Mail over the next few months.
