Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

When used properly, government advertising campaigns inform the people of this country. It is a legitimate channel for the government to use to communicate its policies and inform its citizens of the opportunities and challenges that face them. Without independent oversight, it can lead to the waste of taxpayers’ dollars that we saw for 11 years when the opposition were in government. At that time, there were no checks or balances on government advertising. The amount of money wasted by the Howard government is staggering. It included $118 million for advertising of the GST and over $100 million on Work Choices. In 2007, the government spent $254 million in one year alone in a vain attempt to buy an election with taxpayer dollars. Under the Howard government, the committee that made the key decisions of how to spend taxpayers’ money on advertising consisted of a group of ministers, staffers, party hacks and spin doctors.

Given the abuse of the system by the Howard government, it is a little ironic and ridiculous for the opposition to accuse the Labor government through this motion. The Labor government introduced the independent oversight that ended the Howard government’s abuse of taxpayer funded government advertising. Now all advertising campaigns over the value of $250,000 undertaken by Australian government departments and agencies are reviewed by an independent communications committee for compliance with the guidelines on information advertising campaigns. These guidelines emphasise that campaigns must be factual, objective and not directed at promoting party political interests. The Labor government has also significantly reduced spending on government advertising. In 2010, the government spent $140 million less than the Howard government did in 2007. We have undertaken these measures to fix the disastrous system that operated under the Howard government and it is clear, transparent, open and accountable.