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The Morrison government has ramped up its marketing and advertising campaigns to $136 million in contracts since the beginning of this year, according to tender documents that reveal the cost to taxpayers. The government advertising includes $16 million for Treasury to promote tax cuts and $6 million for the Department of Jobs and Small Business to tell voters about assistance for employers. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of using taxpayer funds for political ends before calling the election, an announcement expected within a week. The government has hit back by pointing out that Labor put millions of taxpayer dollars into advertising in its last months in power in 2013, including a border protection campaign supposed to deter people smugglers overseas but aired on Australian television. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann would not confirm the daily amount being spent in Senate estimates hearings on Monday, but said the ads were being rolled out to inform voters about electricity bills, online safety and to encourage employers to hire apprentices. "You are complaining about the Prime Minister and the Treasurer talking to the Australian people a week after the budget," he said in response to questions from Labor's Penny Wong. "Are you serious?" Senator Cormann said the ads were "not top of mind for the Prime Minister right now" and that the Coalition had made a decision "a long time ago to pursue [the election] slowly". Senator Wong said the ads were a sign of a "desperate government using their taxpayer funds to get re-elected". The daily cost of the campaigns are expected to be revealed when the Department of Finance fronts Senate estimates hearings on Tuesday. "I am very confident that the finance department has taken proper notice of your interest and will be able to provide answers tomorrow," said Senator Cormann. The advertising contracts include $7 million at the Department of Education and Training, which has been promoting the government's school funding increase. Another $7.5 million has been awarded by the Department of Health, which is promoting the government's decisions on hospital and healthcare. The biggest campaigns are expected to stop once writs are issued for the election campaign, triggering the caretaker conventions. Defence recruitment and other non-partisan campaigns are expected to continue. Under the caretaker conventions, advertising funded by taxpayers is reviewed by the Department of Finance and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, which will recommend whether campaigns should continue. "Campaigns that highlight the role of particular ministers or address issues that are a matter of contention between the parties are normally discontinued, to avoid the use of Commonwealth resources in a manner to advantage a particular party," say the rules. "Campaigns that are of an operational nature, such as defence force recruiting campaigns or public health campaigns, usually continue." The $136 million figure comes from all contracts listed at AusTender since January 1 and covers advertising as well as market research. The biggest single item is $23 million for trade agency Austrade. The breakdown makes it difficult to be certain which campaigns are political and which are non-partisan, but the campaigns on tax, small business, schools and health are already being seen by voters on television and other parts of the media. Mr Shorten criticised the advertising outlays by saying the money could have been put into healthcare during a tour of marginal seats where he outlined Labor's policy of spending $2.3 billion on cancer programs. "This government wants to spend tens of millions of dollars on TV advertising to pump up their own tyres," Mr Shorten said on Sunday. "That's why they're buying time, so they can spend some more of Australian's money to pump up their own tyres. If they've got some spare money in Treasury, they should be spending on services for kids with cancer." - SMH/Age

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