Australia’s infrastructure and population are constantly growing and as well as being a resilient economy, the expectations of quality infrastructure and connectivity for a better quality of life are increasing. Infrastructure also provides the opportunity for leading companies to finance, construct, own and operate infrastructure assets.
The issue in Australia – most of the infrastructure required to be built are in complex cities and are in highly urbanised environments and with this comes significant environmental issues, planning issues and community issues. It also means that solutions to these problems are expensive and developers and governments are finding it difficult to fund the expensive infrastructure projects. The rise in discussions around future cities has increased by 175 per cent with conversations being had around the Australian government improving productivity and liveability of the nation’s largest cities as they grow over the next 30 years.
In this whitepaper we explore the various infrastructures within Australia including transport, water, energy and telecommunications to understand their current status, the effects each sector is having on the environment and analyse the role media plays.
Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.
The early start of the bushfire season is being raised by the fire authorities as a serious concern. With another summer of record high temperatures still to come and no sign of the drought breaking, the bushfires have sparked the use of terms such as crisis, emergency, unprecedented and historic in the media. But bushfires in Queensland are not unusual and the subject of climate change being a contributor is also a hot topic.
In this blog, we delve deeper into these topics by analysing the media coverage around the Queensland bushfires and climate change.
In the past year, “bushfire,” “Queensland” and related keywords returned close to 174,000 mentions.
Throughout November and December 2018, we saw a spike in mentions predominantly across Broadcast. During this time, the media communicated great concern over an early start to the fire season and the lack of rain that was expected in the coming weeks and months.
Interestingly, the number of mentions from these months combined equates to less than the number of mentions that have happened in September 2019. These figures tell a story with emphasis being placed on the severity of the bushfires, the surrounding issues around climate change and the government’s response.
Queensland has been facing it’s most catastrophic bushfire season in recorded history - with more than fifty bushfires burning at one time. The Bureau of Meteorology’s data on climate change shows that rising temperatures have been evident since the beginning of the 20th century and have been gaining momentum with rising carbon emissions year on year.
This year, a warming climate has contributed to the early fire season. With an unusually dry winter, very little rainfall and above average temperatures, weather conditions like these have not been seen so early in Spring. Vegetation such as rainforests are now flammable thanks to a drier and hotter climate. These conditions are also putting more people at risk with health issues as well as fires threatening people's homes.
The drought that’s now across much of the eastern seaboard has set the scene for more frequent and intense fires this summer. Currently, approximately 98 per cent of New South Wales and 65 per cent of Queensland are drought affected. Many towns in regional New South Wales and southern Queensland are having to get water supplies transported to them to avoid water shortages.
The warming climate has also increased the possibility of bushfires burning in different states simultaneously. Due to this, the paradigm to a strategic firefighting plan is required whereby states will need to resource their own fires as the resources aren’t available to lend a helping hand.
Despite the numerous bushfires that have happened in recent weeks, politicians have been insisting that climate change isn’t relevant to this year’s fire season.
Climate scientists advise this is a dangerous approach and Queensland's summer of disasters is evidence that climate change will take an economic toll on taxpayers.
Bushfires and floods have been ravaging Queensland over the past three months and if natural disasters continue, the State Budget is estimated to take a hit of at least $1.5b.
The government has made disaster recovery payments available for eligible residents, where up to 13 weeks of income assistance can be claimed for those affected by natural disasters.
Strikes for climate change have been prominent on a global scale with ‘Strike for Climate’ rallies that have taken place in multiple cities around the world. The first rallies took place Friday 20th September 2019 and continued until Friday 27th September. During the week period, there were over 16,000 media mentions on the subject with 84 per cent of these mentions made online. These numbers depict just how prominent the subject of climate change is in the media.
In the below, we see the dispersion of mentions about the climate change strikes across Broadcast, Print and Online news.
These strikes were brought on after Swedish teenage activist, Greta Thunberg started to raise global awareness of the risks posed by climate change. She wanted to put pressure on politicians to be held accountable for their lack of action on the climate crisis.
Within Australia, hundreds of thousands of school students walked out of classrooms and rallied for action to be taken. The September strikes followed strikes that were held in March this year where over 150,000 people marched in Australia and 1.5million world wide.
Australia was one of the first countries in the world to join the global climate strike protests, with hundreds of thousands rallying in countries around the world. In capital cities around Australia, people prepared signs and chanted slogans in favour of swift climate action.
In Australia protesters want the Federal Government to commit to:
Looking to the future, it will be interesting to see how government bodies around the world respond to the rallies, to the changing climate and the effect they are having on the environment and community.
If you would like to learn more about the media coverage about this topic or anything media intelligence related, get in touch with us today.
The early start of the bushfire season is being raised by fire authorities as a serious concern. Predicted to be another summer of record high temperatures with no sign of the drought breaking, their presence have sparked concern within the media and ignited debates over the role climate change plays with fires.
While renewables like wind and solar are often framed as the future of energy, the renewables market faces many challenges in seeing that journey through, especially regarding Australia’s Paris climate agreements. The path to a clean energy future in Australia is fraught with disruptions and distractions, as media reports, and exploring the factors shaping media coverage of energy alternatives and clean energy reveal a shifting understanding of renewable energy sources.
Peak media coverage of renewables centres on government actions seen as hindering clean energy progress. Stories like keeping Eraring operational, nuclear energy debates, and delays in environmental law reforms highlight a perception of indecision on ecological issues. While traditional media spikes around policy updates, social media discussions are steadily growing, reflecting increasing public engagement with Australia’s renewable energy transition. Analysing these trends reveals how media narratives shape and respond to audience perceptions in this evolving debate.
Renewable energy is widely hailed as a cleaner, cheaper, and more stable alternative to fossil fuels, but media and social discussions paint a more complex picture. Concerns about affordability and feasibility are growing, driven by economic shifts, supply chain issues, and the lingering effects of the 2022 energy crisis, which media attribute to cold snaps and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, all while Australia remains heavily reliant on coal and gas exports.
Topics like grid overload, the need for better battery subsidies, and the failure of taxpayer-funded rebates to support solar businesses dominate conversations. Meanwhile, wind farms face local opposition due to environmental and land use impacts, and debates over nuclear energy disrupt investment in solar and wind, further complicating Australia’s clean energy strategy.
Nuclear energy’s potential introduction into Australia’s future energy mix has further unsettled renewables investors, with media highlighting concerns over its impact on wind and solar investments. For more context listen to our podcast interview with Pablos Holman, General Partner at Deep Future. Wind energy faces criticism for using taxpayer funds to benefit private companies, while hydrogen’s future is uncertain following high-profile project withdrawals by Fortescue and Origin. The media’s portrayal of these issues underscores ongoing public and industry doubts about Australia’s renewable transition and the role of nuclear in the energy debate.
Watch below the shifts in coverage of significant policies and strategies over time to understand why some strategies stay in the headlines while others peter out.
The Labor government’s flagship Future Made in Australia Bill is central to its energy vision and, in November, was passed to support a net-zero transition. The May budget highlighted turning Australia into a renewable energy superpower with dedicated funds for solar, battery, and hydrogen projects. However, the opposition has framed hydrogen and critical minerals tax breaks as "corporate welfare". Over time, it looks like Labor’s Future Made in Australia Bill is at a tug of war for media attention against the opposition’s nuclear strategy. Australia’s energy future, however, is not wholly detached from fossil fuels. Labor's Future Gas Strategy positions gas as a necessary transition fuel while being central to Australia’s energy and export sectors.
Climate activists criticise the Future Gas Strategy for extending Australia's reliance on fossil fuels. Media critics call it another "broken promise" by the Albanese government, highlighting mismanagement that has negatively affected energy supply and costs. Though the "Future Made in Australia" narrative around energy security resonates with many, the government’s conflicting strategies raise questions about long-term benefits and who truly gains from its policies.
Australia's shift to clean energy faces complex debates and conflicting government signals, from promoting renewables to considering nuclear power. Despite loud voices in the media advocating for taxpayers and businesses, deeper media analysis reveals multiple layers and motives behind their arguments.
" ["post_title"]=> string(84) "Insights into media and public perceptions towards Australia’s clean energy future" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(62) "media-and-public-perceptions-of-australias-clean-energy-future" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2024-12-04 23:11:27" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-12-04 23:11:27" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(32) "https://www.isentia.com/?p=35913" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" }While renewables like wind and solar are often framed as the future of energy, the renewables market faces many challenges in seeing that journey through, especially regarding Australia’s Paris climate agreements. The path to a clean energy future in Australia is fraught with disruptions and distractions, as media reports, and exploring the factors shaping media […]
The Australian podcasting news industry continues to grow. While Australian audiences do consume content from international brands like the BBC, they also exhibit strong affinity for independent Australian productions over mainstream sources. In a period of uncertainty amidst Apple’s recent update to automatic download policies Australia’s podcast audience has rapidly expanded, with ad revenue rising from $5 million in 2017 to over $100 million in 2024. So how do podcasts fit into the Australian news cycle? As audiences direct attention to independent and international productions, audience targeting, partnerships and media monitoring trends indicate a shift and a need to adapt engagement metrics and messaging strategy.
To highlight the impact of podcasts on audience engagement, we tracked coverage of key news themes in Australian podcasting from January 2020 to November 2024.
Podcasts surged into the mainstream during the pandemic, and they’re now evolving by integrating with platforms like video and audiobooks to meet new audience expectations.
While general podcast news discussion remains steady, discussion on news podcasts indicates listener engagement peaks around high-impact stories, suggesting that the topic and information itself is what truly resonates with audiences. Outlets like The Australian Financial Review and ABC have expanded into the format, yet even major programs like ABC’s Background Briefing face fluctuating engagement compared to discussion about news content being consumed through podcasts. The data suggests there’s a gap being left by main outlets in the podcasting space. While traditional media adapts, independent producers are gaining traction with stories that deeply resonate on identity and community issues, such as the 2021 Christian Porter case and The Briefing’s 2024 episode on pianist Jayson Gillham’s lawsuit against the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Understanding audience preferences and monitoring content trends helps communicators craft strategies that leverage podcasting’s unique appeal.
Podcasts offer creators the freedom to pursue stories with fewer constraints of advertisers, investors, or other stakeholders, leading to content deeply shaped by personal passion and a strong connection to the subject. This independence empowers impactful storytelling, as illustrated by The Teacher’s Pet, where Hedley Thomas’s rigorous reporting on the case of Lynette Dawson uncovered new, critical details and underscored the journalistic integrity driving audience engagement in a shared pursuit of truth. Similarly, New Politics, co-created by Eddy Jokovich, leverages its Patreon-funded model to explore perspectives outside mainstream narratives, showcasing the power of independent journalism through podcasting.
Sports and entertainment tend to generate high visibility and engagement, suggesting they benefit from a faster publishing cadence and broad appeal. However issues like global conflicts draw significant attention, especially among communities directly impacted. The Briefing podcast, for example, addressed the October 2024 conflict in Gaza in a recent episode where Lebanese-Australian journalist Liz Deep-Jones offered a personal perspective. This type of coverage shows how podcasts can provide both journalistic depth and emotional resonance, connecting listeners to complex stories in a more relatable way.
Even if a major broadcaster or outlet owns a podcast production, the unique style and tone set by the hosts and production team often place podcasts outside the conventional PR and communications scope. Unlike the carefully curated talking points found in a typical puff piece or advertorial, podcasts allow for candid, in-depth discussions that explore complex topics with a degree of freedom seldom found in traditional news media channels. This authenticity is driven by the podcast format itself, which favours nuanced discussion offering audiences a more transparent and less scripted narrative style.
Many of the leading news podcasts, like The Quicky by Mamamia, follow a daily release that taps into the rhythm of the 24-hour news cycle, providing timely responses to breaking news. This format appeals to listeners by delivering news in a quick, digestible style, ideal for staying informed on the go and catering to audiences prioritising both convenience and relevance. It’s no surprise, then, that top news highlight podcasts often incorporate ads at multiple points—before, during, and after episodes—capitalising on the high listener engagement these accessible, on-the-go updates create.
Sports and entertainment podcasts tend to attract higher engagement with frequent, easily digestible episodes, often in the preferred 20-30 minute range, which sustain a steady listener base. Personalities like Hamish and Andy, and John Graham exemplify how audience visibility can be driven more by engaging personalities than by traditional news analysis. In contrast, outlets like The Australian Financial Review maintain a more analytical focus with podcasts such as The Fin and Chanticleer, known for their conservative, business-centric tone. Meanwhile, digital-first brands like Mamamia take a more hybrid, accessible approach across varied topics, leveraging podcasting to reach broader audiences and foster engagement with impactful news stories. This range of formats illustrates how different brands tailor their podcast strategies to meet audience preferences, from rapid updates in entertainment to in-depth discussions on current events.
While legacy media outlets leverage their reputations to enhance their podcast presence, credibility alone doesn’t ensure engagement. Instead, PR and communications teams can boost audience connection by aligning content with listeners’ interests and authenticity, helping refine podcasting strategies to capture attention and drive meaningful engagement.
The Australian podcasting news industry continues to grow. While Australian audiences do consume content from international brands like the BBC, they also exhibit strong affinity for independent Australian productions over mainstream sources. In a period of uncertainty amidst Apple’s recent update to automatic download policies Australia’s podcast audience has rapidly expanded, with ad revenue rising […]
It’s become a truism to state that local journalism is in decline. But that story has been complicated by a new form of socially conscious ‘start-up’ publication cropping up across both ANZ and the wider world.
Consumers of local journalism are turning to independent sources, such as CityHub and Westender, that focus on community-driven stories, accountability, and underrepresented voices. This shift is compounded by the decline of traditional outlets, as highlighted in recent articles discussing the closure of regional papers due to rising costs, Meta's withdrawal of funding, and shrinking government ad budgets. These pressures reinforce the need for meaningful engagement with local journalism, as audiences demand authenticity and transparency in coverage of issues like housing, civil rights, and activism. By examining these independent outlets, we gain insights into how independent journalism continues to shape public discourse and meet the expectations of news consumers today.
Over time, the ANZ media has itself been writing increasingly about local journalism. Some of this laments its decline; elsewhere, it’s cited in national stories as a story source. But over time, we also see some of that attention focusing on publications such as The Westender and Cityside.
The Westender’s content and engagement reveals that local journalism consumption in Brisbane is significantly influenced by timely and relevant political topics, and pressing community issues such as the housing crisis.
Engagement patterns suggest that timely advocacy and local relevance are key draws for the publication, highlighting a community eager for information that resonates with their values and interests.
Over in Sydney, meanwhile, CityHub amplifies underrepresented voices and promotes accountability by covering issues such as military bases ("We Need to Talk About Pine Gap"), NSW’s anti-protest laws, and housing policies. It offers alternative perspectives that challenge mainstream narratives, fostering civic engagement and activism. With audiences engaging on platforms like X and Reddit, local outlets build credibility through community-driven stories and partnerships with organisations like Australians For War Powers Reform.
This pattern suggests that certain topics resonate more deeply with the audience than others. Stories that receive particular attention advocate for diversity and anti-racism, and frequently call out local councils for failing to act on commitments, such as anti-racism strategies.
CityHub highlights the views of prominent local figures and groups, like Greens councillor Dylan Griffiths, who pushed for Inner West Council's ceasefire call in Gaza, and the Arab Council for Australia, whose frustration led to the mass resignation of the Multicultural Advisory Committee. This type of reporting offers a platform for communities seeking to impact policy—something often underrepresented in mainstream media coverage unless it’s taking place on national scale.
The active sharing of CityHub content on platforms like X and Reddit highlights community engagement around social issues.
CityHub’s audience is most likely to engage with political themes, followed by culture and crime, often focusing on issues that directly impact their lives, values, and beliefs.
Advocacy campaigns, such as the Fossil Ad Ban's billboard initiative, not only spotlight important issues but also critique political figures like Anthony Albanese based on their responsiveness to these values. Cultural expressions, such as protests and street performances, carry political significance, while initiatives like the Sydney Olympic Park development reflect community values towards topics like urban planning.
Clearly, CityHub and publications like it are fulfilling a need that has been unfulfilled amongst the community - but what influential figures help disseminate these stories amongst willing audiences?
It’s no surprise that advocacy groups are actively sharing and disseminating calls to action. Content creators, particularly those writing for CityHub, effectively communicate the stories they cover, resulting in increased engagement for the local outlet. The reach and influence of these reporters often surpass that of CityHub itself. Additionally, credible community figures, such as university lecturers, further enhance the publication’s coverage.
CityHub and The Westender illustrate the critical role of independent local journalism in shaping public dialogue and accountability. This active participation reflects a community eager for accountability and willing to challenge local authorities on issues like systemic inequalities and inadequate policies. The preference for independent sources indicates growing scepticism towards mainstream media and a trust in alternative narratives that align with their beliefs.
" ["post_title"]=> string(62) "How a new type of local journalism is engaging ANZ audiences " ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(60) "how-a-new-type-of-local-journalism-is-engaging-anz-audiences" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2024-10-18 01:52:12" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-10-18 01:52:12" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(32) "https://www.isentia.com/?p=35151" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" }It’s become a truism to state that local journalism is in decline. But that story has been complicated by a new form of socially conscious ‘start-up’ publication cropping up across both ANZ and the wider world. Consumers of local journalism are turning to independent sources, such as CityHub and Westender, that focus on community-driven stories, […]
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