Linda Kirk (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Howard government has wasted almost $2 billion on government advertising since it came to power in 1996. Since the last election it has spent more than $800 million on government advertising. In fact, $126.3 million was spent on advertising in the last financial year. We have heard today from other speakers that the estimated cost of this government’s propaganda blitz using taxpayers’ money in this election year, 2007, is estimated to be more than $500 million—that is, half a billion dollars. Meanwhile, Australian working families continue to struggle, not only with interest rate hikes but also with the increasing price of food and petrol. This demonstrates just how completely out of touch the Howard government has become with the plight of Australian working families. It also shows the arrogance of the government, which appears to view taxpayers’ money as its own to spend however it sees fit.

In the short time I have available, I would like to take the Senate through a few examples of the government’s expenditure on advertising campaigns in key policy areas. I will begin with the government’s extreme industrial relations laws. This government has spent $93 million advertising its extreme IR laws. The Howard government’s changes to Work Choices have been a further extravagant excuse to spend more taxpayers’ money on advertising these unfair laws in the lead-up to the election later this year. These laws, as we know, have shown themselves to be exactly what the Labor Party said they would be—that is, unpopular, extreme and unfair—and they have hit working families very hard. No amount of taxpayer funded advertising will change the substance of these laws, yet this does not stop the Howard government trying to fool the Australian public with its taxpayer funded advertising. Mr Deputy President, $20.5 million alone was spent on the campaign to promote the Office of Workplace Services and the Employment Advocate. A further $40 million was spent on promoting the employee advisory program, a program designed to encourage employers to promote Work Choices. When Australians see these ads on TV they should shudder at the expense, because every tax dollar that the government spends on advertising is one dollar fewer that can be spent by Australian families on clothing, children’s education, groceries and other essentials of life.

I want to move on to climate change. The government has recently launched a $52 million campaign on climate change, including $23 million in advertising. The campaign includes an expensive series of television advertisements and a booklet to be mailed to every household in this nation. As we know, the government has consistently over-promised and under-delivered when it comes to climate change. Since 1996, the Howard government has failed to deliver on almost $460 million of funding it promised to climate change initiatives. As a consequence, less that 0.05 per cent of the $245 billion federal budget is being spent on climate change initiatives. Mr Deputy President, 0.05 is a blood alcohol limit, not a climate change strategy.

I could go on to talk about money that has been spent on superannuation advertising—$69 million—and private health insurance. The government has spent $27 million on advertising private health insurance. It has spent $6 million on advertising regional telecommunications and $20 million has been spent on advertising government internet policies. A Rudd Labor government will end the abuse of taxpayer funded government advertising. A Rudd Labor government will cut spending on government advertising and ensure that all advertising campaigns costing more than $250,000 would be authorised—(Time expired)

Question agreed to.