Local Media Pty Ltd publishes local Northcote, Budget, Preston Post, Reservoir Times and Whittlesea Post editions of The Local Paper.

The Northcote Budget heritage name is linked to the Leader-Budget newspaper that was produced in the City of Northcote from 1936-1966. The Northcote Leader had its beginnings on January 21, 1888, produced by R. Lemon and brothers (The Rev.) A.H. ‘Henry’ and W. Richardson from Brighton. Emergence of a rival, the Northcote Examiner, forced the brothers to establish an office in Northcote, which increased the local news content and soon ensured that the paper – and its sister publication, the Preston Leader – were appealing commercial properties. The Northcote and Preston editions were identical except for a masthead swap.

“We ask the forebearance of our readers for the very small amount of llocal news in the first issue of the Northcote Leader and Preston Record,” they welcomed. “This owing to our arrangements being yet incomplete. We hope in our next and subsequent issues to present our readers with a full budget of local and district intelligence. Our thanks are freely tendered for the very liberal patronage given and promised, which we shall do our best to merit. Intending subscribers will kindly send their orders to Mr Plant, High Street, Northcote, agent for this journal, who will supply it every Saturday
morning.”

In 1890, twin brothers, John and Robert Whalley, from Creswick, bought the newspapers, which they retained until 1924, working  to build local content and extending readership as far north as Whittlesea. Both brothers were active in the local community and John edited the Northcote Leader for 30 years.

They were quick to sell themselves, boasting within its masthead: ‘Largest Circulation and Best Advertising Medium in the Northern Suburbs. Circulating in Northcote, Preston, Thomastown, Epping, Whittlesea, Fairfield, Heidelberg, Clifton Hill.’

At the outbreak of World War I, the papers published by the Whalley brothers brought coverage of the hostilities as the proprietors were touring Europe when war was declared. By the time the news of the declaration of war reached Australia on August 5, 1914, the Leader had already carried several letters from the brothers describing their time in England, Scotland, Switzerland and northern Italy.

John Whalley’s tenure ended in 1924 when the brothers sold the papers on May 1, 1924, to Decimus Mott (pictured), who created the Leader company four years later. His son, George Horace Mott, led group from1946. Alliances with other titles meant that during the 1960s more than a third of Melbourne’s population was reading papers owned or connected to Leader.

Decimus Horace Mott was born in Hamilton, Victoria, was born In Hamilton on March 10, 1873, to George Henry Mott and Allegra Haidee Charnock. Decimus passed away in October 1947 ay Heidelberg, Victoria. The childern were George Horace Mott (1903-1968), Walter Thomas Mott (19005-1990), Gladys Ada Mott (1907-1995), Margaret Agnes Mott (19000-1015)) and Robert Reginald Mott (1911-1989).

“Prior to the year 1888 Northcote had no local newspaper and the district had to rely upon the service of the Fitzroy Mercury and the Collingwood Observer,” noted the 1933 Leader Jubilee Issue. “Their beginnings were small, the paper having no great circulation and little advertising support. With all the energy and ability they could command the new proprietary set themselves out to improve and popularise the paper, and it was not long before they had the pleasure of seeing their efforts bear fruit, as first the Northcote council, next Preston, and then Epping made the Leader the official organ of their municipalities.”

The Mott family’s Australian dynasty dates back to a dark winter’s night in June 1853 when Londoners George Henry Mott and his bride landed at Sandridge
(now Port Melbourne) on the Elizabeth Wilthen. He was 22, she 21. Although trained for a legal career, he sought work on The Argus newspaper, later transferring to The Morning Herald. Even then the media was like the stage, with journalists moving from business to business. In 1854, George Mott was Editor of the Mount Alexander Mail on the Castlemaine goldfields.

Within another year, George Mott was Editor and part-owner of Beechworth’s newspaper, the Ovens and Murray Advertiser, operated today by Hartley Higgins. George Mott also started the now defunct Federal Standard at Chiltern. In 1856, Mott crossed the Murray River. The story is that the crossing was made in a bark canoe paddled by a native through two miles of swirling floods. Mott’s new paper was to become The Border Post, serving Albury’s population of 645.

New South Wales Premier Neville Wran gave this description to a special Border Mail supplement in May 1978 to celebrate the opening of new presses: “A dissenter-born, a crusader self-inspired, George Mott spent the next dozen years printing papers simultaneously at Albury, Chiltern and Beechworth, arguing the great issues of 19th Century colonial life.”

George Mott also worked at The Spectator in Hamilton, with five of his sons running papers variously at Bordertown, Port Melbourne, Hawthorn, Flemington, as well as The Essendon Gazette and Kew Mercury. The family suffered a reverse in the bank crash of 1893, and several sons went to Western Australia when gold was found there. The sons printed at Coolgardie, starting The Western Argus at the new gold rush in Kalgoorlie, and another paper not so well known, T’Other Sider.  Unable to finance the rapid growth of their other publication, The Kalgoorlie Miner, son Decimus and his brother sold out for £2000, returning to Albury in 1903 to compete against The Daily News and Banner. The fights were difficult with the eventual takeover of The Daily News affected. The Border Morning Mail was founded as a daily in 1905. In 1924, the family split, with Hamilton Mott’s family remaining at Albury, to continue publishing The Border Morning Mail. Legend has it that one of the parties was to move, decided on the flip of a coin.

The development of the Preston area, saw the Preston Leader become the Preston Post, incorporating the opposition Preston Progress (September 5, 1924-September 19, 1930).

First editions of the Whittlesea Post are said to have commenced around 1935. The State Library of Victoria holds copies from 1946. Local Media Pty Ltd honours the traditions of the Whittlesea Post, Whittlesea Advertiser and Whittlesea Chronicle. The Whittlesea Advertiser was published from 1995, succeeding the Whittlesea Chronicle which commenced in July 1990.

In 1936, the Northcote Leader (until then a paid newspaper) combined with The Budget, to produce a free 10,000-circulation weekly.

Advertising rates were listed at 4/- per inch single column per insertion, with classified ads costing 1/- for 14 words.

In 1955, the Reservoir Times commenced. It was re-badged as the Northern Times from August 1959.

By the early 1970s, there were seven major suburban newspaper owners in Victoria, with Leader controlling 17 papers.

In 1978, the Preston Post and Northern Times combined to become the City of Preston Post-Times.

Around 1977, the Motts embarked on a merger with another suburban publisher, Progress Press. In 1986, the Herald & Weekly Times Ltd bought the Leader group, making it the most significant player in the suburban newspaper market. This meant that when Rupert Murdoch bought the HWT the following year, he took on all the Leader titles.

On May 2, 2001, the Preston Post-Times became the Preston Leader, in a branding exercise that saw all group newspapers come under the Leader name.

The final print editions of the Northcote Leader and Preston Leader mastheads run by News Corporation were published in April 2020.