Maitland Mercury

Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads)—Congratulations to the team at the Maitland Mercury, Australia's third oldest regional paper, who have been named the Australian Community Media's top non-daily masthead at a ceremony to celebrate excellence in regional and rural journalism across the country. Editor Donna Sharpe was particularly praised for her strong editorial leadership and her team were acknowledged for demonstrating a consistent eye for quality local news, and approached stories such as the Hunter Valley bus crash tragedy with deep thought and compassion. The Mercury was also a winner in the Newroom Collaboration category where the editorial teams from the Maitland Mercury, Singleton Argus and Newcastle Herald won for their team approach during the difficult coverage of the Hunter Valley bus tragedy. As ACM editorial director Rod Quinn said newspapers such as The Maitland Mercury profoundly impact our local community. They cover stories that would otherwise go untold and do so with diligence, passion and a deep commitment to our city. Congratulations to the Maitland Mercury on their award success.