Report 12

Government Funded Advertising

Auditor General’s Overview

Government agencies spent more than $45 million on a variety of print and electronic media advertising campaigns in the two years to June 2013. This did not include the significant costs involved in developing the campaigns or spending by Government Trading Enterprises.

Government advertising campaigns can be an effective way of providing important information and advice to the public about government activities and services. But the campaigns can attract considerable attention and criticism about their value for money or the perception that they have been used for political purposes.

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet has central agency responsibility for ensuring that campaigns are not excessive or extravagant or used for political purposes. It does this using an advertising and communications policy and a review committee that assesses each campaign against the policy.

We audited a range of campaigns and found that while they generally complied with the policy, some important changes were needed to make the process more patently independent, accountable and transparent.

Obtaining the public’s confidence that taxpayer funds are spent wisely and with integrity can be hard won, but is more easily lost. Some relatively simple changes to the way government campaign advertising is managed would reduce this risk.

 
Page last updated: June 25, 2014

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