Adjudication No. 1165 (May 2002) [2002] APC 20

Adjudication No. 1165 (May 2002)

The Press Council has upheld a complaint against the North Central News, published in country Victoria, over its reporting of a public meeting held by the Northern Grampians Shire Council on the proposed moving of a town's library, thus allowing the enlargement of the shire administration centre.

Iris Hunter-Conlan complained over several points in the report, but her two main concerns were that the report failed to record the objections raised by "the greater number" of the 120 to 180 people present (she said "more than 12 residents" spoke in protest against the Council plans) and that the paper failed to mention the "petition of 650 signatures (out of a population of 2500) displayed on a wall and constantly referred to" during the meeting.

In its response, the paper pointed out that the meeting was called not to discuss the plans, but to allow the shire's CEO to inform residents of the final form of the plans which had been under prolonged public and shire council discussion for six to seven years. That was why the objectors were not reported, and the reporter did not notice the petitions.

However, one paragraph of the report read: "In answer to demands that the project be abandoned to seek other alternatives, the Mayor, Cr Col Hall, informed those present that the project was already being implemented, and the council had no intention of handing back grant monies."

This, says the Press Council, does at least acknowledge the existence of objections, if not the presence of objectors. The paper also demonstrated that the whole subject has been canvassed exhaustively in the paper, both in reports and in pro and con letters for years.

Despite the fact that the meeting was clearly promoted as a meeting to present information on the almost complete plans, the report was unbalanced because it ignored the objections raised at the meeting, and for this reason the complaint is upheld.