Here at The Leader, just this week, we’ve brought you stories about drought-stricken farmers, the news that the Bureau of Meteorology has been recording incorrect temperatures for Tamworth, and the inspirational 100-kilometre journey of a Parkinson’s Disease sufferer.

This paper, along with other regional media outlets, aims to give local communities a voice.

Our goal is to drive local issues and campaigns, to lobby councils and politicians and highlight those in our community who deserve their moment in the spotlight (such as The Leader’s Faces of Tamworth series).

The impact of an independent and tenacious journalism can be keenly felt in regional Australia, not just with the big-ticket issues, but also on a smaller scale – whether it be putting a shelter over a bus stop or reinstating Tamworth’s traditional NAIDOC march.

And where else are you going to get your local sports news from?

But it’s not just the hyper-local stories that local media engages with.

The things that drive our nation, the backbone issues, are often played out in regional Australia – farming, mining and renewable energy to name a few.

It’s been proven, time and time again, that regional media outlets, with boots on the ground and local contacts, break stories of crucial national significance. 

Despite what those in Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne may think, many of the decisions that shape the nation are made in the bush, as are many of the political sagas that grab national attention.

Just look at the New England electorate’s past two federal representatives.

Barnaby Joyce was deputy prime minister when threw his government into turmoil, firstly through the dual citizenship saga and then his extra-marital affair with his former staffer and current partner.

Before Joyce, Tony Windsor found himself a kingmaker, deciding who governed the nation. 

As these stories were breaking, we had the journalists on the ground ready to cover it for you.

If you have an issue, a story or an idea that you think we should look in to, get in touch with us.We might just be able to make a difference.