Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Minchin, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. Can the minister advise how much more advertising on industrial relations has now been authorised by the government? Can the minister indicate whether the Ministerial Council on Government Communications has met to authorise further expenditure and, if so, how many more taxpayer dollars this government is intending to spend on this advertising?

Rod Kemp (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Kemp interjecting—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are the reports in yesterday’s Australian newspaper correct, which state that $36.5 million—

Rod Kemp (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Kemp interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Kemp, come to order!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

will be spent on this government’s latest industrial relations campaign? Will the minister now come clean with Australian taxpayers and tell them if they are footing the bill for a $36.5 million ad campaign for Work Choices mark 2?

Rod Kemp (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Kemp interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Kemp, you are warned!

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, this issue of government advertising was, of course, exhaustively discussed at Senate estimates, but I am delighted to talk about it again. This government is a reformist government. We have much to communicate to the Australian people. There is a significant and well-established precedent from the former Labor government—and, indeed, state Labor governments, who have set new benchmarks in this area—for using advertising to communicate government policies and changes to government policies. Indeed, as a result of our changes to workplace relations, private health insurance and superannuation, we have taken advantage of the opportunity to properly inform Australians of those changes through factual government advertising.

In relation to the industrial relations campaign to which Senator Wong refers, for the campaign to date, in relation to changes that we are making to industrial relations arrangements, the media cost of advertising has been about $3.5 million for the week of 20 May 2007, plus other non-campaign advertising. I would add, in relation to the slur upon on the advertising that Senator Wong casts in suggesting that it is anything other than factual, that there was a very interesting report in the Age of 1 June quoting an actor, Alan Fletcher, whose voice was used in the voice-over in the government’s advertisements. He was quoted as saying:

The workplace relations ad appeared to me to be a non-political commercial that advertised changes to the law and how to get information about those changes.

The ad offered no endorsement of Government policy on workplace relations and, as such, did not conflict with my personal principles.

I note that this Mr Fletcher is the federal vice-president of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, as well as a professional actor.

The government has no embarrassment whatsoever in properly advertising its changes to workplace relations. Workplace relations does affect millions of Australians. These are important changes. It is important that Australians have the facts in relation to this advertising.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chris Evans interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Evans! Your colleague is seeking the call.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, can I again ask you to confirm whether or not the government has authorised additional expenditure on industrial relations advertising? Is $36.5 million the new price tag? Could you advise whether the $36.5 million will include yet another taxpayer funded ad blitz, to the tune of $25,000 an hour, which was seen in stage 1 of this campaign? Minister, why does the government display such contempt for Australian taxpayers? And isn’t this just another example of the Howard government treating taxpayers’ money as its own?

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not aware of any further decisions of the government to extend this advertising campaign, but should it be then I am sure that the people and the parliament will be properly informed of any additional resources put into this campaign. But I do think Senator Wong ought to take account of what her own Labor governments do around the country. I was surprised to see, in the Adelaide Advertiser of 9 June, this full page ad: ‘Building a healthy future for South Australia.’ What have we got here? The smiling face of Labor Premier Mike Rann, extolling the virtues of his Labor budget! Look at it! It is incredible—the hypocrisy of this lot in attacking us for our advertising when they have six state Labor governments absolutely blowing their budgets! They are now actually in deficit as a result of the extraordinary spending they conduct, much of which is on their own party advertising.

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would remind honourable senators of the rulings on displaying pamphlets and brochures and the like in the Senate.