The proposal is part of an 18-month overhaul of Fairfax’s Australian Community Media (ACM) division aimed at building a stronger, sustainable and modern media network serving rural and regional Australia.

Staff in Victoria were briefed on Wednesday about the proposed changes at publications including The Border Mail, The Courier, Bendigo Advertiser and The Standard.

Consultation with employees is now under way.

If the proposal goes ahead the company expects voluntary redundancies of around  80 full-time equivalent positions across Victoria. This includes 62 editorial roles such as management, sub-editing and photography. Administration and some sales positions are also affected.

ACM director John Angilley said the proposal was “all about setting up our newspapers and websites for the future”.

“Local news and sales capability will remain well resourced,” he said. “Our Victorian publications will remain the most trusted source of news and information in the communities we serve.”

All mastheads in Victoria would be redesigned, revitalised and made easier to read under the plan.

No newspapers or websites would close.

“Our Victorian publications will have journalists, photographers and sales teams working with new skills, capabilities and resources so they can continue to do what they do best -- create quality journalism and connect advertisers to our audiences -- well into the future,” Mr Angilley said.

Newsrooms would be upgraded as they adopted new systems, more efficient ways of working, digital-first editorial practices and a sales approach that focuses on the customer.

“Our sales teams will be equipped with new technology and trained in using best-of-breed sales solutions so they can spend more time delivering on customer needs,” Mr Angilley said.

“Journalists will report local news across multi-media, as well be trained to write headlines, captions and fact-boxes,” he said. “Quality-checking processes and procedures will be in place and our editors will remain responsible for managing risk and maintaining editorial standards.”

The new way of working was successfully introduced at Fairfax’s South West NSW publications, including The Daily Advertiser in Wagga, earlier this year.  

Mr Angilley said this success had given the company “great confidence that the changes we are seeking to make in Victoria will deliver the improvements we are looking for”.

“Changes involve a flatter and simpler management structure, working more closely together in groups and across mastheads, sharing resources and adopting new technology,” he said.

New training and skills development across editorial and sales will reshape some roles and provide new career opportunities for staff.

Recently appointed Group Managing Editor Andrew Eales and Group Sales Manager Jade Morrison will lead Victoria’s editorial and sales teams, respectively.

Ballarat will operate a hub for shared services in the state, with other sites continuing to maintain a local presence with reporters and sales staff.

“Our full focus and attention in the weeks ahead is consulting with our staff in Victoria to ensure everyone fully understands the proposal and has the opportunity to share their feedback with us,” Mr Angilley said.

“No final decisions have been made. It remains business as usual in other parts of our business.”

ACM’s hundreds of newspapers and digital network of more than 140 websites serve local communities in every state and territory.