Ballarat Mayor, Cr Ben Taylor has described as devastating, the announcement by Regional Media Company ACM to close its Print site in Wendouree.
The print site will close on 2 October 2020, resulting in a loss of 134 local jobs, including full and part time roles.
ACM is the owner of The Courier Newspaper, which will be printed in Melbourne.
"This is obviously devastating news for the print employees and their families, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by the announcement," Cr Taylor said.
"This is a bitter blow for Ballarat and we need to work with the company and the government to gauge the full impact."
The City has implemented an immediate response plan.
- Council's Economic Development team has contacted the State Government and will be part of a meeting with the ACM site manager for Ballarat early next week
- The City and the government have started enacting an Employee Response Plan which will assist affected ACM workers access a range of Government support services, including financial, emotional and job support
- In addition to the direct job losses, the impact on supply chains is being analysed and City of Ballarat will seek to support these wider impacted industries as soon as possible
ACM Chief Executive Officer Allen Williams said the difficult decision was made following a review of all elements of the business and was aimed at ensuring the long- term sustainability of Australia's largest regional media business. ACM also announced the closure of its print sites in Canberra and Murray Bridge (SA).
