Indy news site Cairns Now has published a rather startling email first sent by Cairns Post business editor Nick Dalton, where he outlines the sheer scale of job losses at the News Corp-owned publication.

The email, sent to a government media adviser and sent on to the rival indy news site, has Dalton writing:

“FYI more redundancies here. The NIE journo, plus marketing director and his offsider and another in circulation. The real estate editor vacancy is not being filled nor sports journo Murray Wenzel when he leaves later this month.

“Court reporter Harry Clarke is joining Nine in Brisbane also this month and the editor is having to fight to replace him.

“Crazy really when … our circulation, while still falling, is not as dramatic as all other regionals.”

The Cairns Post’s circulation Monday to Fridays is 16,643 and nearly double that on Saturday. It’s weekday edition lost 5.8% (7.7% on Saturday) over the past year, according to the most recent circulations survey. The tabloid has been around since 1883. Cairns Now reports the redundancies are only the latest job cuts, with many roles in marketing and management in recent years outsourced to Brisbane.