The National Advocate

[1] The newspaper was established on 28 September 1889, co-founded by Australian businessman James Rutherford as a vehicle to put forward a protectionist viewpoint.

[2] The newspaper's board of directors included Francis Halliday who was at that time was president of the Bathurst National Protection League.

[3] The National Advocate had a reputation as the local mouthpiece of the Australian Labor Party, in contrast to the conservative-leaning Bathurst Times.

[4] Future prime minister Ben Chifley was appointed to the newspaper's board of directors in 1921, occupying the place that had previously been held by his father.

[3] As with many other regional newspapers, it struggled financially during World War II and never recovered its previous influence or circulation.