40-588: "To save you the inconvenience of a fine, our Meter Maid has inserted a coin in the meter. By courtesy of the Surfers Paradise Progress Association." The Sydney Morning Herald Surfers Paradise Meter Maids are bikini -clad women who operate in Surfers Paradise — a surfing , entertainment and tourism centre on the Gold Coast of Queensland , Australia . Unlike other meter maids , who issue parking tickets to motorists when they overstay, Gold Coast meter maids put money into parking meters which might otherwise expire, preventing vehicle owners from incurring
80-513: A cyclone which devastated the area in 1967 caused a decline in tourism, the then mayor of the Gold Coast, Bruce Small , toured Australia with a group of maids to promote the area. For a while the maids were sponsored by the local chamber of commerce, but that stopped in 1990 when maids Roberta Aitchison and Melinda Stewart appeared in Penthouse . Aitchison and Stewart then set up a business to continue
120-545: A fine. After the introduction of pay-and-display parking meters they took on the task of explaining to motorists how the machines work. The Surfers Paradise meter maids were first instituted by entrepreneur Bernie Elsey in 1965, through the Surfers Paradise Progress Association, which was opposed to the introduction of parking meters by the Gold Coast City Council . The meter maids carried
160-487: A gold bag of sixpences to top-up expired meters, thereby saving motorists from a £1 fine. The women left a card stating: "You have just been saved from a parking fine by the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids". The activities of the meter maids were controversial because feeding parking meters was illegal. The council, however, decided to ignore the offence because the maids were providing such good publicity for
200-456: A group of white stockmen, the paper published a long letter from a squatter in defence the killings. The squatter described the Indigenous inhabitants of Australia as "the most degenerate, despicable, and brutal race of beings in existence", writing: "they will, and must become extinct – civilization destroys them – where labor and industry flourish, they die!" The Herald 's editorialisation on
240-432: A traditional Australian bush hat. Maids usually have a sash emblazoned with "Surfers Paradise Meter Maids" or the like, and white knee-length boots are sometimes worn. Advertising is carried on the uniform to provide income. The maids, however, have had ongoing financial problems since the council forbade them from selling merchandise on its land, such as keyrings, calendars and " stubby holders " for beer bottles . When
280-638: Is James Chessell and the editor is Bevan Shields. Tory Maguire is national editor, Monique Farmer is life editor, and the publisher is chief digital and publishing officer Chris Janz. Former editors include Darren Goodsir, Judith Whelan , Sean Aylmer, Peter Fray, Meryl Constance, Amanda Wilson (the first female editor, appointed in 2011), William Curnow , Andrew Garran , Frederick William Ward (editor from 1884 to 1890), Charles Brunsdon Fletcher , Colin Bingham, Max Prisk, John Alexander, Paul McGeough , Alan Revell, Alan Oakley , and Lisa Davies. The Sydney Herald
320-495: Is a list of The Sydney Morning Herald 's former journalists. After 40 years as art critic , John McDonald was sacked in September 2024. Fairfax went public in 1957 and grew to acquire interests in magazines, radio, and television. The group collapsed spectacularly on 11 December 1990 when Warwick Fairfax , who was the great-great-grandson of John Fairfax, attempted to privatise the group by borrowing $ 1.8 billion. The group
360-633: Is also sometimes affectionately known as Granny's Column, after a fictional grandmother who supposedly edited it. The column's original logo was a caricature of Sydney Deamer , originator of the column and its author for 14 years. It was edited for 15 years by George Richards, who retired on 31 January 2004. Other editors besides Deamer and Richards have been Duncan Thompson, Bill Fitter, Col Allison, Jim Cunningham, Pat Sheil, and briefly, Peter Bowers and Lenore Nicklin. The column is, as of March 2017, edited by Herald journalist Tim Barlass, who frequently appends reader contributions with puns; and who made
400-690: The Coalition at the 2013 and 2016 federal elections , the newspaper endorsed Bill Shorten 's Labor Party in 2019 , after Malcolm Turnbull was ousted as prime minister. At the state level, the Herald has consistently backed the Coalition; the only time since 1973 that it has endorsed a Labor government for New South Wales was Bob Carr 's government in the 2003 election , though it declined to endorse either party three times during this period. The Herald endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in
440-668: The National Library of Australia . In March 2024, David Swan, technology editor of SMH and The Age , won the 2023 Gold Lizzie for Best Journalist of the Year at the IT Journalism Awards. He also won Best Technology Journalist and Best Telecommunications Journalist, and was highly commended in the Best Technology Issues category. With The Age , SMH also won Best Consumer Technology Coverage and were highly commended in
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#1732851904356480-576: The Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, Column 8 moved to the back page of the first section from 31 July 2000. As at February 2024, the column is the final column on the Opinion (editorial and letters) pages. The content tends to the quirky, typically involving strange urban occurrences, instances of confusing signs (often in Engrish ), word play , and discussion of more or less esoteric topics. The column
520-544: The Best News Coverage category. Compact (newspaper) A compact newspaper is a broadsheet -quality newspaper printed in a tabloid format, especially one in the United Kingdom . The term as used for this size came into use after The Independent began producing a smaller format edition in 2003 for London's commuters , designed to be easier to read when using mass transit . Readers from other parts of
560-619: The Sydney metropolitan area, most parts of regional New South Wales , the Australian Capital Territory and South East Queensland . The Sydney Morning Herald publishes a variety of supplements, including the magazines Good Weekend (included in the Saturday edition of The Sydney Morning Herald ); and Sunday Life . There are a variety of lift-outs, some of them co-branded with online classified-advertising sites: The executive editor
600-481: The area. The first maid, Annette Welch, was disinherited by her grandmother for working in that way, but went on to marry the manager of a real estate firm in Surfers Paradise. Many women who worked as meter maids went on to have careers as models after the initial exposure. At the outset, the maids' uniform was a gold lamé bikini and a tiara . That has now evolved into a gold lycra bikini and an Akubra hat —
640-418: The content in the print edition. Around the same time, the organisation moved from Jones Street to new offices at Darling Park and built a new printing press at Chullora , in the city's west. The SMH later moved with other Sydney Fairfax divisions to a building at Darling Island. In May 2007, Fairfax Media announced it would be moving from a broadsheet format to the smaller compact or tabloid-size , in
680-496: The country liked the new format, and The Independent introduced it nationally. The Times and The Scotsman copied the format as The Independent increased in sales. The Times and The Scotsman are now printed exclusively in compact format following trial periods during which both broadsheet and compact version were produced simultaneously. The Independent published its last paper edition on 20 March 2016 and now appears online only. This journalism -related article
720-517: The decision to reduce the column's publication from its traditional six days a week, down to just weekdays. The Opinion section is a regular of the daily newspaper, containing opinion on a wide range of issues. Mostly concerned with relevant political, legal and cultural issues, the section presents work by regular columnists, including Herald political editor Peter Hartcher , Ross Gittins , and occasional reader-submitted content. Iconoclastic Sydney barrister Charles C. Waterstreet , upon whose life
760-414: The early 2000s, some local business owners recruited 10 women as "tourism ambassadors" — dressed in khaki shirts and shorts, and sensible shoes — to patrol the beach-front, distributing surf safety advice and free sunscreen. In 2010, Gold Coast Tourism revealed plans to have the maids travel around Australia to promote the Gold Coast, but in much less revealing outfits. Roberta Aitchison was quoted as querying
800-493: The everyday dilemmas of readers; a Samurai Sudoku ; and "The Two of Us", containing interviews with a pair of close friends, relatives or colleagues. Good Weekend is edited by Katrina Strickland. Previous editors include Ben Naparstek , Judith Whelan (2004–2011) and Fenella Souter. The paper has been partially digitised as part of the Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program project of
840-450: The first six decades of Federation , always endorsing a conservative government. The newspaper has since endorsed Labor in seven federal elections : 1961 ( Calwell ), 1984 and 1987 ( Hawke ), 2007 ( Rudd ), 2010 ( Gillard ), 2019 ( Shorten ), and 2022 ( Albanese ). During the 2004 Australian federal election , the Herald did not endorse a party, but subsequently resumed its practice of making endorsements. After endorsing
SECTION 20
#1732851904356880-410: The following year. Fairfax, whose family were to control the newspaper for almost 150 years, based his editorial policies "upon principles of candour, honesty and honour. We have no wish to mislead; no interest to gratify by unsparing abuse or indiscriminate approbation." Donald Murray , who invented a predecessor of the teleprinter , worked at the Herald during the 1890s. A weekly "Page for Women"
920-479: The footsteps of The Times , for both The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age . After abandoning these plans later in the year, Fairfax Media again announced in June 2012 its plan to shift both broadsheet newspapers to tabloid size, with effect from March 2013. Fairfax also announced it would cut staff across the entire group by 1,900 over three years and erect paywalls around the papers' websites. The subscription type
960-466: The founding owner of ATN , which became the flagship of what became the Seven Network . Column 8 is a short column to which Herald readers send their observations of interesting happenings. It was first published on 11 January 1947. The name comes from the fact that it originally occupied the final (8th) column of the broadsheet newspaper's front page. In a front-page redesign in the lead-up to
1000-562: The idea, saying that the maids' distinctive swimsuits were integral to their image. There have been efforts to introduce male equivalent meter boys. The Sydney Morning Herald The Sydney Morning Herald ( SMH ) is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment . Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald , the Herald is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia and claims to be
1040-631: The mid-1960s, a new competitor had appeared in Rupert Murdoch's national daily The Australian , which was first published on 15 July 1964. John Fairfax & Sons Limited commemorated the Herald's 150th anniversary in 1981 by presenting the City of Sydney with Stephen Walker's sculpture Tank Stream Fountain . In 1995, the company launched the newspaper's web edition smh.com.au . The site has since grown to include interactive and multimedia features beyond
1080-444: The most widely read masthead in the country. The newspaper is published in compact print form from Monday to Saturday as The Sydney Morning Herald and on Sunday as its sister newspaper, The Sun-Herald and digitally as an online site and app , seven days a week. It is considered a newspaper of record for Australia. The print edition of The Sydney Morning Herald is available for purchase from many retail outlets throughout
1120-538: The newspaper's editorial stance at times reflected racist attitudes within the colony, with the paper urging squatters across Australia to emulate the mass killing of Native Americans . The front page of the paper on December 26, 1836 read: "If nothing but extermination will do, they will exterminate the savages as they would wild beasts." In the wake of the Myall Creek massacre in which at least twenty-eight unarmed Wirraayaraay men, women and children were murdered by
1160-481: The public as well as a panel of judges appointed by Fairfax. Winners have included: The contemporary editorial stance of the Sydney Morning Herald is generally centrist. It has been described as the most centrist of Australia's three major news publications (the others being The Australian and The Age ). In 2004, the newspaper's editorial page stated: " market libertarianism and social liberalism " were
1200-542: The run-up for the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Herald endorsed the Liberal-National Coalition in the run-up for the 2023 New South Wales state election. In May 2023, the Herald opposed the extradition of former WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange to the United States, with the newspaper conducting a poll that found 79% oppose Assange's extradition to the United States. As The Sydney Herald ,
1240-429: The service, but a rival organisation was established by Lisa Hassan. A legal battle erupted a few years later when Aitchison was sued by Hassan for distributing a video of her performing a striptease. In 2009, Aitchison bought Hassan out. A museum now exists to record the history of Gold Coast's meter maids. There has been persistent criticism that the scantily-clad meter maids are an anachronism and an embarrassment. In
Surfers Paradise Meter Maids - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-507: The subsequent defence of his since-deleted column by editor Bevan Shields; Wilson pre-empted the Hornery disclosure with an Instagram post confirming her relationship. In 2012, Woman of the Year (WOTY) awards were created by the editor of the Daily Life section, Sarah Oakes, inspired by the sexism faced by former prime minister Julia Gillard . Winners were selected as the result of voting by
1320-842: The television workplace comedy Rake is loosely based, had a regular humour column in this section. Good Weekend was launched in May 1978, as a Saturday magazine appearing in both SMH and The Canberra Times . The editor was Valerie Lawson, and Cyprian Fernandes was founding chief sub-editor. It is now distributed with both The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in Saturday editions. It contains, on average, four feature articles written by its stable of writers and others syndicated from overseas as well as sections on food, wine, and fashion. Writers include Stephanie Wood, Jane Cadzow, Melissa Fyfe, Tim Elliott, Konrad Marshall, and Amanda Hooton. Other sections include "Modern Guru", which features humorous columnists including Danny Katz responding to
1360-409: The trials contrasted with other newspapers which were more respectful on the matter and on the notion of Aboriginal Australians being protected under the law as British subjects, the same as settlers. In 2023, the paper apologised for its coverage of the massacre and the subsequent trials of the perpetrators. The below is a list of The Sydney Morning Herald ' s current journalists. The below
1400-502: The two "broad themes" that guided the Herald ' s editorial stance. During the 1999 referendum on whether Australia should become a republic , the Herald (like the other two major papers) strongly supported a Yes vote. It also endorsed the Yes vote for the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum . The Sydney Morning Herald did not endorse the Labor Party for federal office in
1440-494: Was added in 1905, edited by Theodosia Ada Wallace . The SMH was late to the trend of printing news rather than just advertising on the front page, doing so from 15 April 1944. Of the country's metropolitan dailies, only The West Australian was later in making the switch. The newspaper launched a Sunday edition, The Sunday Herald , in 1949. Four years later, this was merged with the newly acquired Sun newspaper to create The Sun-Herald , which continues to this day. By
1480-626: Was announced in July 2013 that the SMH 's news director, Darren Goodsir, would become editor-in-chief, replacing Sean Aylmer. On 22 February 2014, the Saturday edition was produced in broadsheet format for the final time, with this too converted to compact format on 1 March 2014, ahead of the decommissioning of the printing plant at Chullora in June 2014. In June 2022, the paper received global coverage and backlash to an attempted outing of Australian actress Rebel Wilson by columnist Andrew Hornery, and
1520-475: Was bought by Conrad Black before being re-listed in 1992. In 2006, Fairfax announced a merger with Rural Press , which brought in a Fairfax family member, John B. Fairfax, as a significant player in the company. From 10 December 2018, Fairfax Media merged into Nine Entertainment , making the paper a sister to the Nine Network 's TCN station. This reunited the paper with a television station; Fairfax had been
1560-419: Was founded in 1831 by three employees of the now-defunct Sydney Gazette : Ward Stephens, Frederick Stokes, and William McGarvie . A Centenary Supplement (since digitised) was published in 1931. The original four-page weekly had a print run of 750. The newspaper began to publish daily in 1840, and the operation was purchased in 1841 by an Englishman named John Fairfax who renamed it The Sydney Morning Herald
1600-416: Was to be a freemium model, limiting readers to a number of free stories per month, with a payment required for further access. The announcement was part of an overall "digital first" strategy of increasingly digital or online content over printed delivery, to "increase sharing of editorial content," and to assist the management's wish for "full integration of its online, print and mobile platforms." It
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