13 July 2007

ACT Government advertising spend

| catey
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Hi – is anyone else getting sick of seeing the tv ads the ACT Government is using our taxpayer funds for about the recent budget and how this “proves” its commitment to the territory?

How about proving its commitment to the ACT community by directing the money spent on the campaign toward community projects instead of wasting money on propaganda about how great the government is!

I would accept spending on an advertisement that is genuinely providing information to the community about issues of concern or uncertainty, but there is nothing about this ad that informs the community, it is solely self-promoting. What’s the story and aren’t there any laws/regulations to prevent the government wasting money like this? Does anyone know?

Catey

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One thing about the ACT government’s budget – they are perfectly happy predicting the winfall of funds that will(?) be available in 2008 & 2009 in 2007’s budget. Yet they couldn’t predict that 2007 would be a bumper year in 2006 (and that they didn’t need to cut so many services)! The bus timetable is truly woeful now, never mind the schools. Selective predictions will be the death knell for this goverment. Bring on the Greens!

Yep, a total waste of taxpayer’s money – he must have been watching John Howard’s efforts.

Careful Stanhope, you don’t want to got out the door like Howard is about to…

Gungahlin Al10:55 am 16 Jul 07

Other local Governments (used small l deliberately) send paper and/or email newsletters out to their constituents, with the ability to provide, and to link back into, substantial data and information.

This sort of method is far more justifiable than anything you can put on TV.

If the government is serious about conveying budget information to their constituents, then this would be the way to do it.

Expensive, short, and uninformative TV ads are just setting themselves up to be accused of exactly what they are being accused of here. And deservedly so.

Sorry Katy, but it’s not “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” – it’s “damned if you do it wrong”.

No problem with political ads paid for political parties and by their friends in business or the unions. No problem with genuine information campaigns about issues of public importance. Real problem with using taxpayers’ money to tell puffed up stories to the taxpayers. The Feds have allegedly done it to the tune of $1.7 billion. The ACT ALP majority morons (as distinct from the minority Lib morons) are doing it. The NSW drones did it. It’ all disgusting, and it would be smart to vote for anyone who doesn’t do it.

A few years ago, there was a commendable attempt in Fed Parliament by the Democrats to put some limits up. It fell foul of no-one really knowing where the barrier was between public information and political promotion and who should police the barrier. (I think the Senate F&PA Ctee may have some stuff on its website).

I am disgusted by those ads. I didn’t think a Government would be more brazen than the Feds on this one but Stanhope has just gone right for it with this one.

Stupid.
And shameless coming after a severe budget where they cut everything they could think of and increased all sorts of fees.
Katy was on radio defending it and claimed that if they don’t advertise their budget, people complain – um really??????

BeyondThought6:51 pm 13 Jul 07

When is Chairman Jon going to start using taxpayers money to give us all Little Red Books???

Why have they wasted money on this, yet charge the unnecessary utilities tax??? TransACT are now passing this crazy tax on . . .

I agree, waste of money and self promotion. The ads aren’t even that good.

I only watch Fox so I don’t see any of this shit, thankfully.

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt2:28 pm 13 Jul 07

Total waste of money and resources, so pretty much in line with other activities the local council carries out. I wonder if we’ll get an ad all about the flash new ESA spend…

I’d liked the tag WorstChoices personally.

You mean WorkLiberal ?

Saddens me that part of Stanhope’s rationale is, we’ve learned some lessons from the Feds. Makes it harder to effectively complain about the big abuses of advertising at the federal level if labor is happy to do it locally. And I’m sure he’d be the first to scream if an ACT Liberal Govt (novel concept I know, but bear with me) did the same thing. I’m not usually a Stanhope basher, but given the nature of these ads I think he’s got this one wrong big time.

agreed. the ads tell us nothing about any program, initiative etc

at least the “excessive” comm govt ad spends are about programs, changes to legislation etc

this “excessive” spend by the comm govt would be the numbnutted rationale the amatuers that run the ACT govt would use to justify their budget ads

stanhope should focus on governing and less on things like telling people how racist they are and how racist – by default- he is not…

indulge me while I take the stanhope sledge segway further – is Stanhope the racist? – the little brown people cant look after themselves but its ok… BIG JON is there to look after them and stand up for them

I agree – this is wrong on any side of politics and the more money spent on it, the more offensive it becomes.

Agreed. Waste of money. Simple propaganda for next year’s election.

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