Govt's $5m economic ads 'a waste of money'
Posted
The Federal Government is spending $5 million on a campaign to promote the $10 billion economic stimulus package.
The payments to pensioners and families were announced in October in a bid to stimulate the economy and the money will start to flow next week.
The Government is running radio and newspaper advertisements as well as writing to pensioners and families who are eligible for the payments that will start flowing next week.
The Government says it is to ensure people are aware of their eligibility and says the campaign meets new advertising guidelines and has been approved by the auditor-general.
But Opposition frontbencher Michael Ronaldson says it a waste of money.
"The Government said they're going to write to people notifying them of their entitlement, but to then have taxpayer funded ads on top of that," he said.
"I think [it] is political and unnecessary and while restraint is being preached its not being practised," he said.
"If the Government's going to write to every eligible Australian people notifying them of their entitlement, why does [Prime Minister] Kevin Rudd also need to run taxpayer funded ads?
"People in the last three months have seen their savings almost gone overnight. There's a deficit looming and yet apparently the Government is happy to waste money on a political ad campaign."
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