22 March 2022

Calls to clamp down on 'illegal' public ads described as out of touch

| Lottie Twyford
Join the conversation
38
Tim Hollo and Jo Clay standing in front of street art

Greens Senate candidate Tim Hollo and ACT Greens crossbencher Jo Clay in front of a pop-up art installation they say could be put in place of public advertising. Photo: Lottie Twyford.

Advertising is everywhere – on our television screens, on social media, on our phones, our laptops, it’s riding past on buses and cars and staring down at us from buildings. But a longstanding ban, in place since the ’30s on billboards in the ACT, has helped keep our streets cleaner and less cluttered than other major capitals around the world.

That means most ads seen by Canberrans are either wrapped around buses, on bus shelters, or private buildings (if approved during the development process).

But the Greens say there’s another kind of advertising – of the illegal variety – proliferating around the bush capital’s nature strips and roadsides and they want it gone.

READ ALSO The Institutions: Brodburger, Canberra’s original burger sensation just keeps getting bigger and juicier

ACT crossbencher Jo Clay has tabled a petition in the ACT Legislative Assembly on behalf of Federal Greens candidate Tim Hollo calling on the government to clamp down on all existing illegal advertisements – whether they are found on business walls, inside public transport, on the roadside, or anywhere else.

One ad which has particularly concerned her is a Cash Converters ad encouraging young people to take out a loan so they can purchase fast food.

Her petition also asked the government to introduce specific offences for roadside advertising using parked vehicles and to review and update the rules for what advertising content is allowed on public transport, and apply these rules to bus and tram shelters, as well as vehicles.

An ad at a bus stop

The ACT Greens have long been opposed to advertising in public spaces. Photo: Michelle Kroll.

The petition also calls for the government to get rid of bus shelter ads by not renewing the Adshel contract.

Currently, ads are allowed in Canberra bus shelters under an exemption in the National Capital Plan.

In the long run, the petitioners would like to see the Assembly undertake consultation on community support for replacing all public transport advertisements with locally commissioned artwork, given advertising revenue contributes to only 0.6 per cent of the cost of Transport Canberra’s operations.

The petition was signed by more than 500 Canberrans.

READ ALSO Bec springs into action to raise money for Lifeline and break a world record

But Minister for City Services Chris Steel described calls to further tighten already strict public advertising laws as “out of touch”, given it would impact revenue.

“We know that people in the seat of Canberra really care about better public transport, not cutting this vital service,” he said.

The debate around public advertising occurs regularly in the ACT.

In 2016, Chief Minister Andrew Barr suggested that a limited amount of digital display advertising might serve to mitigate the proliferation of illegally placed billboards on vehicles parked on roadsides.

Two years later, the government again flagged a potential relaxation of the current rules but an inquiry into the matter received record opposition from the community, including from the ‘Keep Canberra Ad Free’ campaign – of which Mr Hollo was a coordinator.

Last year, Mr Hollo raised a similar petition with the ACT Government.

READ ALSO RSPCA’s new Pialligo home puts some animal-loving neighbours offside

The ACT Greens have long been opposed to roadside corflute advertising during election campaigns and refrained from using them in the 2020 election.

This year, there’s a campaign gathering steam to replace the illegal ads with art when they are taken down.

Local artist John Voir had a pop-up work installed in Civic Square to show how “art is advertising for the things we need’, unlike advertising, which shows people the things they don’t need.

“The pop-up will be a digital collage representing reclaimed advertising spaces in the Canberra landscape,” Mr Voir said.

“The installation shows how reclaiming spaces currently occupied by advertising enriches the existing landscape of Canberra, rather than mortgaging its beauty to businesses.”

Join the conversation

38
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Removing advertising should not be on the proviso of replacing the advertising with art. It’s used as political advertising in some instances. It should be to just remove the advertising only if they are serious and without pretense. I disagree with removing more advertising and think that there should be some reclamation of funds with advertising. It is good to encourage businesses and employment through printing and implementation with some advertising.

Once again, the Greens demonstrate arrant hypocrisy – calling for freedom of speech for themselves and their gaggle of fellow travellers, whilst attempting to deny it for businesses and community organisations wanting to communicate with the public.

I can understand the crackdown on illegal billboards on public property but removing legal and paid for ones from bus shelters that are effectively helping to subsidise Transport Canberra is a stupid backward step.

The shortfall in revenue will have to be made up in other ways and with the continued lack of imagination when it comes to revenue raising from the ACT Government that means they will likely slug the motorist and/or homeowner as per usual.

Think ton will find the revenue from those adds goes to the company that owns and maintains the shelter rather than the government.

Though that in itself is a cost saving as it means the government doesn’t have to spend as much building and maintaining shelters and only has to worry about the ones they own.

If a number of these ads are illegal, surely it is easy pickings to apply whatever the relevant penalty is? Keep whacking the same companies that place these ads and they’ll stop soon enough, either that or the ACT gov will garner enough in fines to put the budget in surplus for the next decade.

Agreed. If your ad is illegal then it should simply be removed and the advertiser fined. Job done

Tim complains about unsightly adds, while he puts his face on numerous front yard adds across our suburbs.

Simon Cobcroft11:45 am 23 Mar 22

Agreed. I see Tim and Tianara’s face on very large billboards all over the inner North. Talk about hypocrisy!

IMHO Chris Steel is the one out of touch here. We should not sacrifice our clean ad free city to the money god, it is quite simple to say no to further relaxing of advertising laws.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.