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Australia’s digital publishers unite in new alliance, funded by tech giants

Over 20 of Australia’s digital publishers have come together to form a new member association to support, connect and protect the interests of the publishers and audiences.

The Digital Publishers Alliance (DPA) membership includes Agenda Media, Broadsheet Media, Concrete PlaygroundFuture Women, Junkee Media, LADbible Group, Mamamia, Man of Many, Pinstripe Media, Private Media, Solstice Media, Schwartz Media, Squiz Media, The Brag Media, Time Out, Urban List, We Are Explorers and more.

Funding to help set up and establish the Digital Publishers Alliance will come from multiple sources, including annual membership fees and support from the Google News Initiative. The Facebook Journalism Project is currently finalising its funding.

The DPA represents over 90 of the media titles in the country with a combined annual revenue of A$150 million, according to an in-house survey, and its members directly employ over 1500 Australians in full-time or contractor roles.

The DPA will be chaired by Tim Duggan, the co-founder of Junkee Media who finished up working full-time with the publisher at the end of last year. DPA members meet monthly to work together to advance their collective interests and advocate for growth for the entire industry.

Duggan said of his new role: “Now feels like the right time to unite everyone together. Digital publishers are the primary source of news and information for so many Australians but our collective voice hasn’t always been heard.

“The formation of the DPA will bring us around the same table to share knowledge, learn from each other and figure out the best way to keep growing sustainably.”

Urban List founder and CEO, Susannah George, commented: “Diversity of voices is vital for the future of Australia’s cultural scape and the DPA represents a generation of fresh perspectives — a collective of digital natives committed to maintaining media diversity for the betterment of our economy, our culture and our communities.”

Man of Many co-founder, Scott Purcell, said: “We’re incredibly excited about the launch of the DPA to create greater equality in the Australian media landscape, promote a more open and competitive media market, and to support a diversity of voices and opinion in Australia.”

Squiz Media founder, Claire Kimball added: “The digital publishing scene is vibrant as audiences flock to this innovative and creative corner of the media sector. The DPA’s time is now so publishers like us can learn from others, and have a collective voice on the big issues that affect our business.”

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