Public Relations in Sydney

Sydney is the country’s largest media market and home to much of its national business and financial press. Announcements made here are often read nationally, and the pace is relentless: a story can move from an online exclusive to the evening bulletins and the next morning’s business pages within hours.

Australian Public Relations serves clients in Sydney from our office in Southbank, Melbourne. We do not have a Sydney office. We travel for the meetings, briefings and training sessions that benefit from being in the room, and keep the work moving remotely in between.

Sydney’s economy brings a particular mix of communication needs. We work with listed and unlisted companies, financial and professional services firms, technology businesses, property and infrastructure organisations, health and education providers, industry associations, not-for-profits and organisations that deal closely with the NSW Government.

Several state and national frameworks shape communication for Sydney organisations:

• ASX Listing Rules. Listed entities must comply with continuous disclosure obligations, so market-sensitive information goes to the ASX before it goes to journalists. We coordinate media timing with your company secretary and legal advisers.
• Defamation Act 2005 (NSW). New South Wales has adopted the national defamation reforms, including the serious harm element. Where coverage raises defamation concerns, we work alongside your lawyers before any public response.
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW). Serious incidents must be notified to SafeWork NSW, and public communication must be consistent with that process.
• Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW). Correspondence with NSW government agencies may later be released under the GIPA Act.
• Lobbying of Government Officials Act 2011 (NSW). Third parties who lobby NSW officials on behalf of clients are subject to this Act and its register. Where a matter moves into that territory, we discuss it with you first.
• Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW). Planning authorities prepare community participation plans, which shape consultation on development and infrastructure projects.

Sydney is home to national television networks, commercial and public radio, the national business daily and the business sections of the major mastheads, along with a long list of trade and industry titles. Competition for attention is intense, and journalists here are often covering several rounds at once. Clear, well-timed, verifiable information gives a story its strongest chance.

We travel to Sydney for planning sessions, briefings, media training and the days that matter most, such as a results announcement or a significant change. Between visits, the work runs by phone, email and video. Sydney engagements often involve corporate communications for results and transactions, media relations with business and trade press, reputation management and crisis communications in Sydney when an incident draws national attention.

Jim Oliver, Consulting Partner. Jim is a public relations adviser with extensive experience in media and communications. He helps businesses, organisations and individuals shape their story, manage their reputation and communicate clearly with the media and the people who matter to them, whether the goal is building a profile or handling a difficult moment. Read Jim’s profile.

See also public relations in Melbourne, where our office is, and public relations in Canberra. We also work with clients in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin.

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