The West Australian facts for kids
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Front page of The West Australian
21 January 2022 |
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| Type | Daily newspaper (Mon. – Sat.) |
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| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Seven West Media |
| Founded | 5 January 1833 |
| Political alignment | Centre-right |
| Headquarters | 50 Hasler Road, Osborne Park, Western Australia |
| ISSN | 0312-6323 |
The West Australian is a daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It's the only major newspaper in Perth that is edited locally. This newspaper is owned by Seven West Media, which also owns The Sunday Times.
The West Australian is one of Australia's oldest newspapers, having been published since 1833. It often supports conservative political ideas and has mostly backed the Liberal–National Party Coalition in elections. It reaches more people in Western Australia (84%) than any other newspaper in the country.
Contents
What's Inside The West Australian?
The West Australian shares news from around the world, across Australia, and locally in Western Australia. Since 2015, the newspaper's news team has worked closely with the TV news team from Seven News in Perth. Both teams are now based at the newspaper's office in Osborne Park.
Seven West Media also runs two websites from Osborne Park: thewest.com.au and PerthNow. The daily newspaper often includes special sections like Play Magazine, The Guide, West Weekend, and Body and Soul. Thewest.com.au is the online version of the newspaper, but you need to pay to read it.
What are its political views?
The West Australian usually has right-wing political views. In 2022, an editorial from the newspaper said it was "economically conservative, but socially progressive." This means it supports traditional economic ideas but is open to new social ideas.
For many federal elections between 1922 and 1969, the newspaper supported the conservative Coalition. However, in the 2017 Western Australian state election, the newspaper supported the Australian Labor Party, led by Mark McGowan. Later, it supported the Coalition in the 2019 federal election, Labor in the 2021 state election, and the Coalition again in the 2022 federal election.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, The West Australian supported the McGowan Labor Government. But this changed in January 2022 when the government decided to delay reopening state borders. After this, the newspaper became very critical of the government's actions.
How the Newspaper Looks
The West Australian used to be a very traditional newspaper. Now, it looks more like a popular tabloid newspaper. It uses lots of color printing and its special position as the main newspaper in WA to show many advertisements. Sometimes, it even has special sections that look like news but are actually paid advertisements.
Who Reads The West Australian?
In 2015, the newspaper reported that about 1.8 million people read its print and online versions each month. This was a daily average of less than 70,000 readers. In 2016, the newspaper's profit dropped by almost 25%. The number of copies sold also went down. The weekday newspaper sales fell from 157,000 to 145,000, and the weekend edition dropped from 258,000 to 241,000. To save money, the company had to reduce staff.
By 2021, the combined readership of The West Australian and The Sunday Times was 4.1 million people per month. In 2022, this number grew to 4.5 million per month. This growth included readers from other websites and video programs owned by Seven West Media, like PerthNow.
Who Owns The West Australian?
From the 1920s, The West Australian was owned by a company called West Australian Newspapers. Over the years, it was bought and sold by different large media companies. In 2011, West Australian Newspapers Holdings bought the Seven Media Group. This created a new company called Seven West Media, which is now Australia's largest diverse media business.
History of The West Australian
The West Australian started as The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal. Its first edition came out on January 5, 1833. It was a four-page newspaper published once a week. Over time, its name changed a few times, and it started publishing more often. On November 18, 1879, it was relaunched as The West Australian. By 1885, it became a daily newspaper.
At first, it was hard to deliver the newspaper to areas outside of Perth. But as the railway system grew in the early 1900s, the newspaper could reach more places.
In 2015, Seven West Media was allowed to buy The Sunday Times. This meant Seven West Media owned all the major newspapers in Western Australia. In 2019, Seven West Media also bought Community Newspaper Group, adding 13 more local newspapers. Around the same time, The West Australian started charging money to read some of its articles online.
Where the Newspaper Has Been Located
In 1933, The West Australian moved into a special building called Newspaper House on St Georges Terrace in Perth. This building was a well-known landmark for over 50 years. In the 1980s, the newspaper moved out. The printing presses moved to a bigger, more modern building in Osborne Park in 1988. By 1998, the newspaper's editorial team also moved to the Osborne Park complex.
Other Publications
Over the years, the newspaper has published other things besides the daily paper. In the 1940s, it published many editions of Charles Gardner's books about West Australian wildflowers. It has also published calendars, gardening books, and collections of old photographs. In 1954, it even made a special program to celebrate the visit of Queen Elizabeth II.
Photo Collections
In the 1990s, the newspaper created a series of picture books using photos from its old collections. Some of these books included:
- The Fifties
- The Sixties
- A Small War
- The Migrant Album
- No Survivors
- Stage, Screen & Stars
- Decades of Royalty
- Four-wheeled pioneers
Editors of The West Australian
Many different people have been the editor of The West Australian over its long history. Here are some of them:
- 1833–1846 Charles Macfaull
- 1847–1871 Arthur Shenton
- 1874–1879 Rev. C. G. Nicolay and John Rowland Jones; Henry Hullock
- 1879–1887 Sir Thomas Cockburn-Campbell
- 1887–1916 John Winthrop Hackett
- 1916–1927 Alfred Langler
- 1927–1951 Charles Patrick Smith
- 1951–1956 James Edward "Jim" Macartney
- 1956–1972 W. T. G. (William Thomas Griffith) "Griff" Richards
- 1972–1983 M. C. (Bon) Uren
- 1983–1987 D. B. (Don) Smith
- 1987–1988 R. E. (Bob) Cronin
- 1988–1990 Don Baker
- 1990–2000 Paul Murray
- 2000–2003 Brian Rogers
- 2003–2008 Paul Armstrong
- 2008–2009 R. E. (Bob) Cronin
- 2009–2018 Brett McCarthy
- 2018–2024 Anthony De Ceglie
- 2024-Christopher Dore (acting)
People Who Wrote for The West Australian
Many famous writers and journalists have contributed to The West Australian. Here are a few:
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See also
- List of newspapers in Western Australia
