The Gillard Government should not waste one more cent on trying to sell to taxpayers its unpopular carbon tax, Acting Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage Simon Birmingham said today.
A half-year report on Government advertising suggests the Gillard Government spent $16.8 million on media placement or ‘media buy’ for carbon tax advertising in the second half of last year.
This figure doesn’t include the research and creative costs of developing the campaign or the Australia-wide direct mail out, but still represents a blowout of nearly $5 million on the $12 million campaign announced by Minister Greg Combet on 16 June 2011.
“Enough is enough when it comes to taxpayer funded advertising of the carbon tax,” Senator Birmingham said today.
“The Labor Government’s politically motivated campaigns are a complete abuse of taxpayers’ money.
“At a time when Australians are being told that Labor is making difficult decisions to return the budget to surplus they should surely embrace an easy decision, which is to axe the carbon tax ads.
“Julia Gillard should immediately rule spending one more dollar of taxpayer money on pointless ads, mailouts or glossy brochures to sell her deeply unpopular carbon tax.”