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Dear valued subscriber,
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I can't say I've dreamt of appearing in a video on social media platform Tik Tok but this week I made my debut.
As I started to speak, I did so with a sense of trepidation. Social media can be an savoury and unpleasant space at times. It should not have been that hard, after all I'm on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram for work and personal reasons and I was once on Snapchat. My kids hated me popping up there from time to time but it was effective in getting a message across they may have otherwise ignored.
Why did I venture into the unknown world of Tik Tok?
I reached out to our followers and asked them to show their direct support for our local journalism by joining us here at The Standard as a digital subscriber or by signing up to receive our free news updates via email.
As you may have noticed, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is making Australian news harder to find on its social networks.
News content is being deprioritised in your algorithm-controlled "feed", the dedicated news tab has been removed from Facebook and Meta says it will withdraw its current funding support for news outlets like ours that share credible local journalism to its users.
If the Anthony Albanese federal government is as good as its word and designates Meta under Australia's News Media Bargaining Code, it's likely that Mark Zuckerberg's $1.7 trillion company will simply block all news content rather than contribute to a sustainable future for Australian journalism.
Remember when Facebook spat the dummy for a week or so back in 2021 before the bargaining code was introduced and blocked all access to - and sharing of - news content in Australia? Facebook has been blocking all news in Canada since last August in response to that country's equivalent legislation.
So, before your favourite local news source vanishes from your social feed, please show your support for our journalism and sign up with us directly to help keep our region strong, informed and connected.
We have recently launched a morning newsletter that lays out a selection of what's making headlines. It's a great way to stay informed.
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If you are already a subscriber, thank you. Our team here wouldn't be able to do what we do without you.
On the subject of what we do. This week our team delved deep into the hundreds of pages of the state budget and came up with very little. Crumbs of funds are being sprinkled across our region.
I don't want to sound like a broken record (yes I'm old enough to have played vinyl) but we really are being ignored by government. Warrnambool Base Hospital's long overdue redevelopment desperately needs as much as $100m extra funding than what was promised in 2020 because of the jump in building costs. The scope of the project is hardly "taj mahal" like, to steal a phrase from MP Roma Britnell, but luck. Once the project gets under way this year, there is no turning back, we will get a much-reduced revamp. Ballarat, on the other hand, received an extra $54m for its redevelopment.
We need to change this and I note the SouthWest Victoria Alliance, which includes representatives from all local councils, Deakin University and Wannon Water, is planning to release a fresh vision for the region at state parliament later this month. That's a positive step.
Until next week,
Greg Best, editor