The Print and Visual Communication Association (PVCA) has been calling on government to include print across all communications related to the Voice Referendum working with other parties to facilitate equal access to information for all Australians.
The advocacy had highlighted the important role print plays across social inclusivity of all citizens, reach to all audiences and readership groups, economical contribution and the environment in its arguments.
“The print industry is the most trusted channel, it reaches all citizens, including our most vulnerable Australians, carries the highest comprehension levels for important information and is most highly read by older cohorts,” PVCA CEO Kellie Northwood said.
“In addition to that, our industry is a significant contributor to the economy and government’s position to ‘cut costs’ is a false economy when considering the high number of people we employ and the role our industry plays in feeding into the economy.
“It is simply not common-sense for the government to remove an important media channel, such as print, from communicating information across something as important as the Voice Referendum.”
In the letter sent to the prime minister, PVCA argues the areas of digital skills, access and affordability in Australia, environmental credentials, contribution to the economy, and audience effectiveness.
Highlighting the digital divide across ability versus literacy, accessibility and affordability in Australia, which sees the most vulnerable citizens are those most disadvantaged when digital options are implemented and print is removed.
PVCA has argued that it has researched the data illustrating to government how serious a digital only solution would be in alienating Australians. The research shows Australians who did not complete secondary school record a score of 36.3, which is 28.1 points lower than the national score and 38.4 points lower than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Those in the lowest income quintile (earning under $33,800 per year) have a digital ability score of 45.8. That is, 18.6 points lower than the national score, and a significant 33.8 lower than the highest income quintile. It is the lower socio-economic citizens who would have lower comprehension to the information of Constitutional change and therefore unable to make an informed vote.
The communications further critique that the representation from government departments that using less paper will ‘save trees’ is misinformation.
Outlining the spread of deforestation in Australia is primarily due to urbanisation, mixed purpose agriculture, and mining – not paper production. Using industry research to inform the Prime Minister of paper and print’s environmental track record with 83.4 per cent of wood being harvested from planted forests of which 76 per cent are privately owned tree farms planted mainly for commercial use.
“Tree farms are essential for the transition to a green economy and well-managed planted forests are a vital element in the global forestry mix, our industry is part of a reforestation industry and we really need governments to start understanding the renewability of paper and print in an energy dense media landscape,” Northwood said.
E-waste is also outlined in the report, with the PVCA arguing digital channels carry an impact, referencing the ‘digital’ environmental footprint, reported by the UN Environment Programme. This report recorded that 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of e-waste was produced in 2019, an equivalent weight of 125,000 Boeing 747 jumbo jets, making e-waste the world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream.
From environment to the contribution to the economy, the PVCA has included in its communication industry statistics across employment, contribution to GDP and ultimately the economy on a more broader scale than the initial print procurement costs, calling on government to think more holistically.
Further, from Newspoll data released this month, the PVCA highlights the highest print readers are older cohorts, the very cohorts of the population that Newspoll report are less supportive of the Voice Referendum, further arguing the position from government who are looking to have the voice Referendum passed, to include print in their marketing and communication channels.
“Our industry is often overlooked for all the wrong reasons. There is no constitutional, nor sensible rationale to exclude print from the communication channels selected. We have clearly articulated this to government with verified and fact-based content. We will continue to lobby our position and are calling on all members to also issue their letters into their local members calling on support. As a united industry, we can put up a good fight across these matters and let the government know our industry is a strong and effective one for all,” Northwood said.
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