Xenophon denounces $30m government advertising campaign
The domestic advertising budget for the government’s controversial campaign to promote its new asylum seeker policy is $30m, it has been revealed.
The number vastly exceeds previous estimates for the campaign budget which has been criticised as being politically motivated to win over voters rather than being targeted at potential asylum seekers.
The number was revealed in a letter from spending watchdog the auditor-general Ian McPhee to Independent Senator Nick Xenophon.
McPhee reveals the campaign, which was launched in the wake of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s new Papua New Guinea policy for boat arrivals, will cost up to $30m.
“The minister’s office requested that full page ads were to be run in all metropolitan ‘tabloids’ the day after the Government’s policy announcement… the office listed the other media to be employed, campaign length and a notional media budget of up to $30 million”, wrote McPhee.
In the days after the campaign was launched media buyers, politicians and political activists alike criticised the campaign for being politically motivated.
Such concerns have now be heightened after the auditor-general explained the campaign has been exempted from scrutiny by the Independent Communications Committee on the basis of a being declared a matter of “extreme urgency” by the Special Minister of State Mark Dreyfus.
Rather than go before the scrutiny of the Independent Communications Committee, which normally vets all government advertising, an “internal Statement of Compliance” was issued on 19 July and prepared by the Secretary of the Department Immigration and Citizenship. This internal statement of compliance has not been made public.
“The Auditor-General’s response raises serious concerns over the magnitude, haste and inadequate processes of this campaign,” said Xenophon. “There is no ‘extreme urgency’ in saturating Australian households with these ads—it’s a politically expedient ploy.
The Auditor-General also addresses concerns about the sudden increase in government spending which was up 50 per cent in April.
“There is a “tendency for campaign media expenditure to increase in the lead-up to federal elections,” wrote McPhee. “It has been challenging for governments to exercise to restraint in spending on advertising campaigns in the lead-up to elections.”
”The Auditor-General has, in effect, highlighted how open to abuse the current processes are,” said Xenophon.
The independent Senator said he would attempt to introduce legislation when Parliament resumes to overhaul the rule on government advertising and have heavy penalties on Ministers who breach them. The legislation is likely to meet strong opposition from both Labor and the Coalition.
In 2007 Rudd described politically-inspired government ads as “a cancer on democracy”.
Nic Christensen
The Senator gave an interview with Sky News’s Paul Murray on the topic last night:
Take a look at what some really clever artists did today in Sydney in response to the propaganda campaign. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151687999940808&set=a.63419400807.82281.630785807&type=1&theater
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In response to the Federal Government campaign this:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151687999940808&set=a.63419400807.82281.630785807&type=1&theater
went up today in Sydney. Paid (again) by (most likely) white, middle class taxpayers. Is doing the rounds on social (for free) – there must be some irony in this somewhere!
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Has anyone bothered to ask whether it’s actually been effective, or are we all getting our panties in a twist over an “up to $30M campaign” and not caring about the result…
We all rave about how effective WOM advertising is, it looks like this is how they’ve decided to spread the message. Everyone sees the message, everyone talks about it, the message gets spread.
One minute we’re all complaining about boats and that the government isn’t doing anything, the next it’s that we’re spending tax payer’s money on trying to stop it.
Sure the issue is a bit of a political football, but it looks like they’ve taken a ‘blanket the market so everyone knows and talks about it’ approach.
Either show us that it isn’t working (and don’t base it on the fact that boats are still coming, because you can’t stop the boats), or hush.
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@ Wank
You obviously got rather carried away there and ended up wanking all over your opening statement.
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@Wank:
“Either show us that it isn’t working (and don’t base it on the fact that boats are still coming, because you can’t stop the boats)”
Erm… doesn’t that mean it’s not working?
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@wank
Most of the money is being spent on local media. How many Tamil asylum seekers do you suppose read the Daily Telegraph?
Appropriate user name btw.
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Seems a bit excessive. Curious to know whether any potential “boat” people will ever get to see this.
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Will the last person who understands the basics of advertising please turn off the light when leaving… This brain fart is actually seriously being considered as providing strong WOM? …. Yes we are all talking about it… like what a fucking disgrace it is that politicians are pissing $30m on the wall to try to convince idiots that hese imbecile know how to do something other than tax he shit out of he populous and invest it in keeping in office!
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@ Richard, @Andrew – BOOM!!! hahaha, best replies ever.
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This makes me want to renounce my Australian citizenship. Perhaps that Polish EU passport isn’t such a bad idea now.
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Overcoming Xenophobia with Xenophonia.
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