newspapers  business planning 
Lachlan Murdoch, News Limited chairman, has announced a $217m upgrade and expansion of the company’s Chullora print centre in Sydney. The expansion of Chullora is part of an investment of at least $500m by News Limited in plant and buildings for its Australian newspaper operations over the next four years. The Chullora plant will be expanded over the next four years with a new $70m wing that will house an additional colour press capable of printing most of the 18 newspapers in the company’s Cumberland Newspaper Group, with full colour on every page. The Chullora expansion will eventually provide around 50 new jobs. The new Cumberland wing at Chullora will replace the 32-year-old press at Cumberland Newspaper Group’s Parramatta plant.

The Parramatta press will close on Friday, October 1. The seven editions of The Manly Daily, The Canterbury Bankstown Express, The Lake Macquarie News and the Central Coast Express currently printed there will be printed by Rural Press until the work at Chullora is completed.

Murdoch says the upgrade programme would cover most of the company’s Australian operations, spanning national, metropolitan, regional and community newspapers.

"These investments are about creating better newspapers for our readers and more successful vehicles for our advertisers, right across the country," Murdoch says.

"These investments also send a further message that Australia remains a vital part of News Corporation’s future. And, with this commitment we will be providing better working environments and more career opportunities for our people and the prospect of higher returns for our shareholders."

In addition to the major expansion at Chullora, work has started on the new $60m five-storey headquarters for Advertiser Newspapers in Adelaide and work is well advanced on a $32m upgrade to double the colour capacity of the printing presses at Queensland Newspapers in Brisbane.

A new $42m print plant opened on the Gold Coast last month has doubled the colour printing facility for the Gold Coast Bulletin. News Limited’s Leader Newspaper Group in Melbourne is getting a new $20m three-storey headquarters on the site of its current home in Blackburn.

"Our newspapers continue to flourish in spite of the increasing competition from television, radio and the internet, as we develop new sections for readers and more attractive platforms for advertisers," says Murdoch.

"As a result, demand is increasing for full colour on every page and with the investments announced today we are committed to meeting that demand."

Cumberland Newspaper Group publishes a total of 29 editions a week across its 18 newspapers. Circulation of its newspapers exceeds one million copies a week and the newspapers have 1,896,000 readers.