Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his promise prior to the last election to ban publicly funded political advertising in the three months before an election unless specifically agreed by the leaders of the government and the opposition. I quote:

That is an absolute undertaking from us. I believe this is a sick cancer within our system. It’s a cancer on democracy.

Why has the Prime Minister walked away from yet another promise?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question because I welcome a debate on tax reform and I welcome a debate on the standards of this government on public advertising as opposed to the standards of those opposite on public advertising. I stand absolutely committed to our earlier statements. Those statements went first and foremost to the quantum of public advertising. Let us bear very plainly in mind the previous government and their investment in public advertising. They allocated $420 million for public advertising on the GST, more than 10 times that which has been allocated for this campaign in relation to the RSPT. Secondly, for Work Choices, $120 million came from the taxpayer, almost four times that which has been allocated for the public information campaign concerning the RSPT. In 2008, this government spent one-third of what the previous government spent in 2007 on public advertising. In 2009, we spent about one-half of what the previous government spent in 2007 on public advertising. So, on the question of the quantum of public advertising, I say to the Leader of the Opposition: this government stands absolutely by its commitment to reduce the overall amount of public advertising.

Secondly, we go to the guidelines to which the Leader of the Opposition in part addresses his question. The government instituted a set of guidelines in July 2008. Those guidelines came into criticism from a range of people including, I seem to remember, the member for Mackellar, as well as the member for Kooyong, because, according to them, the guidelines placed the Auditor-General in an invidious position. The government, as of March of this year, brought in revised guidelines which were welcomed by those opposite. Those guidelines have been adhered to in the context of public advertising campaigns since then.

I say to the Leader of the Opposition: on the question of overall reform and on the need for public advertising, when the Australian government faces the prospect of a mining industry kicking up to $100 million into a campaign, by some reports, when the interests of working families are at stake and when the economy on the whole and its reputation and standing and confidence are at stake, this government will not stand idly by while a campaign of misinformation is run against a fundamental element of tax reform. We stand for tax reform to benefit working families, small business and investment in infrastructure. That is what we stand for. We will stand resolutely opposed to any campaign of misinformation which has been marshalled by those opposite, including by the likes of Clive Palmer, for whom the Leader of the Opposition stands in this place as a public mouthpiece.