Labor had sought to force through legislative changes that would remove the requirement for the government and councils to publish notices in printed newspapers and instead have the option only to publish online.

The state opposition says country Victorians rely on their local newspaper for information, especially those without a computer or access to the internet.

Member for Ripon, Louise Staley, said circumstances were already challenging for regional and suburban newspapers.

"This change would have harmed the viability of local papers and should never have been contemplated by the government," she said.

"For many, local newspapers are the 'go-to place' to find out what is happening in their community and what their local council is doing."

LOCAL NEWS:

The Nationals say they 'stood strong against Labor's changes' in debate on the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2022.

Leader Peter Walsh said under the law, if governments wanted to make changes that impact local people, they have to do an advertisement in the local paper that circulates in that community so people know what's going on.

"But Labor's reforms attempted to bury this information in the depths of a yet-to-be-determined government website instead, which would mean a lot of people would no longer be informed."

He said strong opposition from country communities, media outlets and the opposition had led to the government walking away from its proposed amendment.

"The Nationals agree with country communities that it is important - it's absolutely critical - that there is an open and transparent process where people will continue to be informed if there are going to be changes to regulations, rules or by-laws in the future."

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Mr Walsh said Labor's reforms would have also had a terrible impact on regional newspapers as the public notices are an important source of advertising revenue.

"Country newspapers are the crucial voice of country people, keeping us informed, sharing the successes of local people and recording our history," Mr Walsh said.

"To think that Labor was trying to take revenue away from our local newspapers - effectively under the guise that this was somehow going to simplify the process of community consultation - shows how out-of-touch they are with Victorians.

"I'm proud The Nationals' efforts to ensure the concerns of our regional communities were heard pushed Labor to admit it got it wrong and secured a win for transparency and accountability for all Victorians."

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