As hard copy newspapers are threatened with extinction partly because of smart phones , so called papershops , newsagencies , are closing , surviving ones relying mainly on lottery ticket sales , drinks, souvenirs , lollies, soft toys , trinkets , special occasion cards .
A newsagency in a large Townsville shopping centre is now offering a range of holy figurines strategically located on top of a cabinet , looking down on sinners carrying an array of good luck charms . As Australia now seems to have an economy like Mexico where there are strolling lottery ticket sellers, the holy range may be bought by devout punters who pray each night that they will win the latest $30million draw.
To buy an actual newspaper you often have to fight your way through a throng of jostling lottery ticket buyers.
Like the diminishing papershops , the Murdoch Townsville Bulletin has been offering an ever increasing range of inducements , from magic (or was it radioactive ?) crabs to hams , to get people to buy a subscription .
Engage North Queensland shopkeepers from Townsville to Cairns in conversation and they all agree that the local paper, all owned by Murdoch, will undoubtedly be reduced from a daily to a biweekly, probably become online only .
