Victorian Opposition in plans to stop “improper government advertising”

Tim Burrowes

January 12, 2010 9:12

Victoria’s Opposition has taken aim at Premier John Brumby’s spending of taxpayer-funded political advertising, with plans to introduce a private member’s bill tackling the issue when parliament resumes next month.

The Coalition’s Political Advertising Bill 2010 is based on proposed legislation pledged by the state’s Premier John Brumby when he was still the Opposition leader in 1995.

At the time he said: “I make it absolutely clear to the Parliament and the people of Victoria that we will not tolerate the sort of abuse of taxpayers’ money that has been occurring in the funding of political advertisements under the government. We will introduce this legislation when in government. It will be the first piece of legislation we put through.”

The current state Opposition, Victorian Coalition leader Ted Baillieu, said that despite the promise made by Brumby 15 years ago he has “spent unprecedented amounts of taxpayers’ funds promoting himself and his government”.

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.