| Senator John Faulkner Cabinet Secretary Special Minister of State |
The Hon Lindsay Tanner MP Minister for Finance and Deregulation |
13/2009
30 March 2009
The Rudd Government today publicly released the inaugural Report on Campaign Advertising by Australian Government Departments and Agencies. It is located at: http://www.finance.gov.au/Advertising/biannual-report.html
The report was tabled in Parliament today and is the first of what will become biannual reporting on the expenditure of government departments and agencies on campaign advertising. The end of financial year report aims to also include expenditure on advertising and research consultants.
The report provides information on campaign advertising expenditures during the period of 1 July 2008 and 31 December 2008 for government departments and agencies which are subject to the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.
Summaries of campaigns where advertising expenditure exceeded $250,000 during the reporting period are provided in the report, along with historical advertising expenditure of government agencies.
Special Minister of State John Faulkner said: “At the last election, the Rudd Government made a commitment to promote greater transparency and accountability of Government operations.
“The public release of this report signifies another important step being taken by the Government to achieve that.”
Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance and Deregulation said that this report showed the Rudd Government had cut campaign advertising by close to two-thirds from the record amount spent by the previous government in 2007.
Lindsay Tanner said: “According to the Auditor-General’s recent report* on the administration of advertising contracts between July 1995 and November 2007 more than $1.8 billion was spent on Government advertising, and nearly half of those outlays occurred in the last four years. In 2007, government departments and agencies spent $254 million on campaign advertising.
“In 2008, under the Rudd Government, that expenditure was slashed to $86.6 million. That is a saving of close to $170 million.”
This new biannual report on campaign advertising is part of the Government’s new advertising framework. The Framework includes the Central Advertising System – which consolidates government advertising expenditure, securing optimal media discounts; and the Communications Multi-Use List, which has resulted in the details of advertising and communications suppliers eligible to tender for Australian Government campaign work being made public for the first time.
* ANAO report on the administration of Advertising Contracts up to November 2007 is located at: http://www.anao.gov.au/uploads/documents/2008-09_Audit_Report_24.pdf
| Media Contacts: | Website: |
|---|---|
| Senator Faulkner's Office - Colin Campbell - 0407 787 181 | www.cabinetsecretary.gov.au www.smos.gov.au |
| Minister Tanner's Office - Nardia Dazkiw - 0418 144 690 | www.financeminister.gov.au |