Activism & Lobbying

Wildcard: Media Boss by Day, Federal Group Manager at Night

An anonymous source alleges that Damon Wise, General Manager of The Mercury and News Corp Tasmania, has been quietly holding a second role as A General Manager for Strategic Engagement at Federal Group…Tasmania’s gambling giant…

Published

4 months ago

December 4, 2025

Heath Clark

Being a journalist or even working in the media industry means you should act with integrity and mitigate as many conflicts of interest as possible. It means walking straight and serving the public’s interest.

After The Mercury covered part of our developments on Pulse Tasmania, a member of the public when submitting evidence claimed that the outlet was acting out of defence to protect their own interests and mitigate exposure from potential conflicts of interests arising, shifting the focus onto Pulse.

“They are playing you by covering your story. It would be reasonable to assume they are trying to protect themselves to prevent their massive conflicts of interest from being known.” – Anonymous

In our previous publication we highlighted the captured and weak handed approach by big media when it comes to holding power to account, especially with groups like the Government. We also raised concerns regarding the relationships with media and their clients and how conflicts of interest can arise.

However, divisions run much further than the government to areas that big media are too scared to touch on…Specifically the relationship between the Mercury/NewsCorpTas and Federal Group.

What is most commonly explored between the two is their advertising relationship, however due to both entities being private companies the amount of information public, and what can be access is quite limited, and it’s where most people give up their investigation.

From the most recent of public records we were able to uncover that in 2016 Federal Hotels spent $1.8m in advertising, but could uncover nothing recent. Public information on advertising spending for Federal among many other companies is generally only limited to political donation disclosures, or released through departmental or ministerial RTI documents, or in some cases…leaks.

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Federal alone has a presence in all sectors of the media market, with advertising often displayed on TV (via 7 network), digital ads & sponsorships and magazines/newspapers.

While we don’t know how much they spend with advertisers, we can look at other states to get a rough idea of the figures. Federal Group likely posts between $84.07m-$180m, previous reporting by the ABC in 2021 showed Federal group’s decline in revenue following gambling reforms, however considering high GSP growth and activity in the economy since the COVID-19 Pandemic, revenue is likely higher but cannot be confirmed.

From industry standards it’s estimated around 7.7% of revenue goes towards marketing (IBISWorld) However the figure could actually be between 5-15% considering player reinvestments, promotions and broader investments under the “marketing and promotions” umbrella. In terms of Pokies, gross gambling revenue advertising (from games only) is usually around 2-3% in Australia.

With this in mind, assuming 7.7% of revenue is being spent on advertising suggests federal group could be spending between $5.4m-$12.6m.

Considering Crown Resorts spends ~$300k/year on News Corp outlets in other states, Federal could potentially be spending between $500,000 – $2,000,000 per year on the Mercury, with it being potentially higher if including all NewsCorp assets. Considering Tasmania is such a thin market, the advertisements on the Mercury by Federal could constitute 2-10% of their revenue alone, depending on how much the Mercury actually earns (which we don’t know).

In a leaked report from 2013 showed the Mercury’s revenue posted revenues of $37 million, while profits fell despite rapid population growth. Considering how old this report is and how much has changed in the media landscape since this then we don’t have an informed basis to project what the Mercury is earning right now but it could be in the range of $20m-$40m.

Exploring the Mercury’s ad rates could inform us on revenue (from their 2023/2024 media kit). They provide a range of options such as Full Page Color Ads ($15,000-$20,000/day), Digital Takeovers ($10,000-$25,000/day) and advertorial series ($40,000-$80,000). But again nothing conclusive can be drawn from this.

High Stakes Game: Multi-Job Gigs for The Mercury Boss

Copy of Playing The Numbers 1 — Mr Damon Wise is the General Manager of the Mercury and NewsCorp Tasmania | Source: Internal

However the links between the Mercury and Federal do not end with advertising packages.

It has been revealed by TDMG that the General Manager of The Mercury / News Corp Tasmania Damon Wise has allegedly been “quietly” working a second job. Holding the titles of Executive General Manager for Strategic Engagement at Federal Group. We understand that Mr Wise hosted a private event at Wrest Point last week where policy reforms and the stadium were discussed.

Copy of Playing The Numbers — Two email cards (verified by TDMG by correspondence) showing Mr Damon Wise working for Federal Hospitality and Pinpoint Group | Source: Supplied

Alleged members present including Madeline Ogilvie MHA and Josh Willie MHA. It was also highlighted by our source that Brad Stansfield attended the event as noted in a LinkedIn message chain reply, which helps confirm it’s existence. Our source alleges attendees knew of the conflict of interest; no public reports confirm attendance other than Stansfield’s comment.

Stansfield’s comment confirms the existence of the event | Source: Internal

We understand that no public reports (from recent searches and profile skimming) mention this event or tie it to Wise’s roles and is solely information provided from an anonymous source. In a state debating controversial issues like the Macquarie Point AFL stadium and gambling, such gatherings could sway decisions without transparency. While it is not a clear cut and obvious conflict, it does raise questions for both politicians who have been claimed to have attended including Mr Wise.

According to our source, Mr Wise has had the job for quite a few months, TDMG contacted Mr Wise later this afternoon seeking a response to confirm if he works at those locations (using the emails provided). As of now TDMG has not received a response, but read receipts confirm that Mr Wise is either still working for Federal Group or that his account is actively managed there.

From publicly available information there were no disclosures or even a record of such position on Mr Wise’s Linkedin or anywhere online.

Extensive research into his association with Federal Group yield no direct hits from major outlets or any online queries, suggesting it’s been kept “on the down low”. In Tasmania’s tight-knit ecosystem, such overlapping roles inevitably raise legitimate concerns about editorial independence on matters in which Federal Group has financial or political interests, including gambling reform and major entertainment/tourism infrastructure projects. The tip-off from before suggests The Mercury’s coverage of Pulse Tasmania was self-protective, shifting focus to hide these ties. However we cannot validate or endorse these claims.

TDMG also acknowledges that Damon was listed as a Board Member of the JackJumpers who recognised him as the GM of NewsCorp Tasmania. The JackJumpers and Mercury also having a relatively lengthy advertising relationship with the Mercury.

Untitled design 2 1 — Mr Damon Wise’s role with the JackJumpers, and company records outlining his involvement with pinpoint | Source: Supplied

It was also revealed that Mr Wise is a director of Pinpoint Group, who run the Taste of Summer (an event which has news story in the Mercury as of recent). The connection also links into other companies like Johnno’s Sauce and Tasmanian Catering Solutions.

Pinpoint Group is better know for it’s services and advice to the Tasmanian Government and private clients; activities focus on renewable energy, infrastructure management, tourism, sport and the events management sectors. These are all things which Mr Wise is already tied into with his position at Federal Group and former position as Board member with the Tasmanian JackJumpers.

The Tasmanian Government have given pinpoint group $7.7 million in funding over the last 3-5 years for the Taste of Summer, and the group currently advocates for a program called “PinPoint ProjX”. ProjX being a multi-disciplinary consultancy network aimed at expanding Tasmania’s renewable energy advantage and the development of the Macquarie Point Stadium.

While the $7.7 million funding for Taste of Summer was reported in August 2022. This means taxpayer money flows to a company partly operated by the head of the state’s main newspaper, which then promotes it through advertising or story coverage (a potential conflict of interest on news reporting).

Accounting and Advertising Links To Other News Outlets

464693343 8822442557812059 1339668344226471061 n — Damon Wise (Left) with his partner Georgie Rowe (Right) | Source: Supplied/Facebook

Through additional research we have also uncovered that Damon’s partner, Georgina Rowe is both a Senior Media Sales Executive for SCA and Senior Accounts Manager for 7 Network raising another conflict of interest concern within Tassie’s already controversial and locked down media industry.

The partner link extends existing and new conflicts to TV media, which could potentially influence ad revenue arrangements across outlets. In such a concentrated ecosystem, personal ties between executives or sales staff could lead to informal coordination or favouritism.

While not proven, this conflict of interest can also provide the opportunity for confidential information to be shared which could impact things from advert allocations and relations with clients.

Wise oversees operational decisions at The Mercury, which often covers topics overlapping with Channel 7’s interests (e.g., local politics, events like the Taste of Summer, or stadium debates). A family link could pressure or incentivize “soft” reporting to avoid harming a partner’s employer.

What This Means For The Industry?

The Fact that Mr Wise has been working for Federal Group undisclosed raises significant conflict of interest concerns. It shows that the Chief of the Mercury works with major players that has a long track record of political lobbying and donations across the state.

While it is public knowledge of his work with other groups such as Pinpoint, JackJumpers it still raises questions as to the extent that these relationships travel to and if they actually interfere with the state’s only daily newspaper.

Mr Wise’s involvement with the Mercury as GM may technically remove him from day-today editorial decision making, which might mitigate or minimize the conflicts present. As it stands now the Mercury has 18-20 “journalists”, including 1 editor, 1 deputy editor, 2 “contributors”. reviewing LinkedIn and contacts directory appears to show a separation between editorial and advertising/operational matters which could suggest that Mr Wise’s conflicts of interest do not interfere with the editorial direction of the newsroom, however this cannot be confirmed.

Journalism codes, such as those from the Australian Press Council or Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), require disclosure of personal relationships or any work positions that could affect impartiality. Undisclosed ties risk eroding public trust.

Right of Reply

No pre-publication right of reply was sought

This is an independent investigative publication. Given the seriousness of the conflicts of interest alleged and the public’s right to know without interference or delay, we have chosen to publish this story immediately. We had previously contacted Mr Damon Wise regarding his involvement with Federal Group, a confirmation of receipt classes it as a right of reply.

We welcome and provide the opportunity for corrections, clarifications, or formal responses from:

Damon Wise,
News Corp Tasmania,
Federal Group,
Pinpoint Group,
the JackJumpers,
Any politician or entity referenced.

Any response received will be published unedited and in full as an addition to the original publication and/or as a follow-up article.

please contact: publisher@thoughtdigest.com.au