Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

I, on behalf of the Australian Democrats, and also on behalf of Senator Evans, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, move:

(1)    That the House of Representatives be requested to make the following amendment:

        Page 10 (after line 8), after clause 14, insert:

14A  Advertising and public information projects

        (1)    No amount appropriated by this Act is to be expended for any advertising or public information project where the cost of the project is estimated to be $100,000 or more, unless:

             (a)    a statement in accordance with subsection (2) has been provided to the Auditor-General; and

             (b)    the Auditor-General has issued a certificate certifying that the project conforms with the Audit and JCPAA guidelines.

        (2)    A statement under subsection (1) must indicate:

             (a)    the purpose and nature of the project;

             (b)    the intended recipients of the information to be communicated by the project;

             (c)    who is to authorise the project;

             (d)    the manner in which the project is to be carried out;

             (e)    who is to carry out the project;

              (f)    whether the project is to be carried out under a contract;

             (g)    whether such contract is to be let by tender;

             (h)    the estimated cost of the project; and

              (i)    the details of the type of media to be used for the project.

        (3)    A statement and certificate under subsection (1) must be:

             (a)    published in the Gazette; and

             (b)    laid before each House of the Parliament within six sitting days of that House after the certificate is issued.

        (4)    In this section, Audit and JCPAA guidelines means the guidelines set out in Report No. 12 of 1998-99 of the Auditor-General, entitled Taxation Reform: community education and information programme, and Report No. 377 of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, entitled Guidelines for Government Advertising, respectively.

Statement pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000—

This amendment is framed as a request because it is to a bill which appropriates moneys for the ordinary annual services of the government.

Statement by the Clerk of the Senate pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000—

As this is a bill appropriating moneys for the ordinary annual services of the government the amendment is moved as a request. This is in accordance with the precedents of the Senate. Whether all of the purposes of expenditure now covered by this bill are actually ordinary annual services is a matter under examination by the Appropriations and Staffing Committee.

This continues a campaign that Labor and the Democrats have been on for a very long time now. We think it is to the great shame of the Howard government that they have refused to accede to general public demand as well as a strong parliamentary campaign for greater accountability with respect to government advertising and public information projects. This is not fanciful material from our parties; this is soundly grounded in strong recommendations from the Auditor-General, and these general requirements have been looked at by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.

We have moved such amendments before and we will continue to do so as the circumstances arise. If there is one area where this government is tricky and, I think, engages in a corrupt process—and I use those words deliberately—it is in the way in which it decides on the way in which money shall be used for government advertising when it has a blatantly political purpose. Much government advertising and public information is not at all to be condemned and should just be accepted as part of the normal function of government, but a good deal of the advertising expenditure occasions great media and public and political comment. We do not like it. We condemn you for it. We think it reflects badly on you and your standards.

The Democrats put up this amendment with Labor not as a futile gesture but as a firm statement of the sorts of standards and accountability an honest government would not hesitate to abide by. That this one does not speaks volumes, and it does not reflect well on the good men and women who populate the coalition back benches and parties. This form of abuse of taxpayers’ funds for blatantly political purposes on occasion is a grotesque abuse of taxpayers’ funds. I cannot put it more strongly than that.