New progressive news site to launch this year

Viner.

A lot of people will be watching expectantly for the launch of Guardian Australia, a venture partially backed by the legendary UK newspaper and Australian businessman Graeme Wood. Wood seems to have a taste for publishing, having funded features vehicle The Global Mail, which launched early last year. It seems that with the new venture, unlike in the case of his first project, Wood has "a view to generating a commercial return from launch".

"Katharine Viner, the Guardian's deputy editor, will be relocating to Sydney to head up and launch the venture later this year," the UK site's story tells us, and an ex-ABC director, Paul Chadwick, will join the venture from prior to the launch.

Most keen observers of global events will already know the Guardian well. Founded in 1821 in Manchester to protect "the liberal interest in the aftermath of the Peterloo Massacre and the growing campaign to repeal the Corn Laws that flourished in Manchester during this period", the paper is owned by the Scott Trust, the sole responsibility of which is the newspaper. So it's a socially progressive vehicle and Wood, the Australian internet entrepreneur, is a progressive as well, having in the past given significant amounts of money to the Greens.

The Guardian is expanding globally, and set up a US website in 2011. Wood is emerging as a rival in the eyes of Australians to Melbourne property developer Morry Schwartz, whose publishing ventures include The Monthly magazine, the Black Inc imprint, and Quarterly Essay.