Regional media is viewed as an essential democratic institution by regional Australians, with   95 per cent accessing some type of local content each week. Regional media is an important source of news, weather, and emergency information. It also contributes to a sense of community and identity within a region.

However, regional media is in decline in Australia. A third of regional areas do not meet the minimum requirements of media diversity under the Broadcasting Services Act. Furthermore, many groups, such as The Friends of the ABC and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, argue that the ABC is failing to fulfil its governing Charter to provide adequate services to regional Australia.

Commercial media has no intention of expanding operations in regional Australia. The commercial TV industry group, Free TV Australia, declared that the ABC is best suited to provide additional regional news broadcasts.