State and federal governments spend nearly $450 million each year combined on advertising, more than large private companies such as Harvey Norman, Woolworths and McDonald’s, according to a study by the non-aligned public policy think tank the Grattan Institute.
And nearly $50 million of almost $200 million spent each year by the federal government on advertising goes on politicised campaigns.
"Spruiking the government of the day is the most common way to politicise taxpayer-funded advertising," says the study, New politics: Depoliticising taxpayer-funded advertising.
"Many of the campaigns that spruik government policies lack a call-to-action which might justify them on public-interest grounds.
"The $39 million Building Our Future campaign aimed to promote the federal government’s investments in transport infrastructure. But there was nothing specific that the government needed people to do. Instead, the campaign generated feel-good messages about the infrastructure pipeline.
"The Australian National Audit Office found that the campaign’s messages exaggerated the federal government’s involvement in transport infrastructure.
"Nor were there any calls-to-action in the Anti People-Smuggling communications campaign, used by both major parties when in office, which included ads in Australian newspapers about the government’s tough stance on boat arrivals.
"State governments do it too. For example, the WA Bigger Picture campaign, which ran from 2012 to 2016, promoted the government’s investments in infrastructure projects, such as upgrading a regional boarding school.
"And the Queensland government spent more than $8 million on two campaigns in 2020-21 to ‘inform Queenslanders of the state’s recovery plan’."
Grattan Institute analysis shows the top 10 most expensive politicised federal government campaigns:
The Grattan Institute: "Australia’s federal and state governments should legislate tighter rules that limit the scope of taxpayer-funded advertising campaigns.
"Campaigns should run only if they encourage specific actions or seek to drive behaviour change in the public interest. Campaign material should not promote a party or the government.
"And campaigns should be timed to run when they will be most effective, not to cluster immediately before elections."
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