He established the Otago Workman, a weekly newspaper that supported working-class communities and allowed Lister to express radical views on politics that were to be influential in shaping labour history in the country.
[7]: 10 The paper had an anonymous satirical columnist known as the 'The Chiseler' who regularly mocked "those of rank and status, the monarchy [and] the titled",[5]: 108 and while it is likely this was Lister, he did write editorials that trenchantly advocated for the industrial classes and the rights of workers.
In the years leading up to 1890, the paper continued to speak for the working-class communities of Caversham and Dunedin South, but more specifically began to propound a "class view of society and politics" in the country.
[5]: 110 Following a strike by the coal miners at Shag Point in 1890,[11] resolved in favour of the strikers on 14 June,[12] the police began harrassing the Otago Workman, at one stage occupying the office.
[5]: 113–114 In 1883 the Otago Workman urged that the labour politicians be defeated, but by 1896 with the bottom line of aiding the worker and providing fair wages, he had come to terms with the need for a political party and supported the Liberal Government.
Although retired from the business, Lister maintained a high public profile on The Flat in South Dunedin until he died on 29 November 1913, twelve years after losing his wife.