The AFR to stop printing in WA: Nine blames Seven’s ‘abuse of market power’

The Australian Financial Review will stop publishing print editions in Western Australia, with the Nine-owned masthead claiming the Seven-owned printers “demanded a new contract that doubled the cost of printing”.

Colourpress, the only printer of major newspapers in Western Australia, is owned by Seven West Media. There are no alternative printing operations in WA for a newspaper print run of the AFR’s scale.

AFR reporter Sam Buckingham-Jones claims that The Australian, owned by News Corp and also printed at Colourpress, was not subject to the same price hike. Buckingham-Jones says the 100% print increase “appears to be a targeted attack on the Financial Review”.