SENATOR FAULKNER: Ladies and gentlemen, a decade ago I referred some very serious concerns I had with the CEIP, the Community Education and Information Program tax advertising campaign to the Auditor-General. My concern then was that that advertising campaign was political and partisan in nature and related to an election policy, a party political policy, as opposed to a government program.
The Auditor-General, at the time, addressed these concerns in part, by recommending that there should be principles and guidelines applying to government advertising. And, in fact, he recommended a set of guidelines to the Parliament.
The Auditor-General's guidelines of the time were subsequently endorsed with only very minor amendment by the Parliament's Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit and that occurred in September 2000.
Nothing was done by the Howard Government to adopt those guidelines or take steps to make sure that government advertising met appropriate standards to ensure that public funds were used legitimately. And this failure to act, in fact, continued for years and covered a period where there was a blow-out in expenditure on advertising campaigns, for example $280 million in 2007.
There was also widespread public concern about the nature of government advertising and the amount of public funds that was being spent promoting messages that I think it's fair to say served the interests of the Government of the day, the political interests of the Government of the day. And 10 years on, I'm very pleased today to be announcing that Cabinet has agreed to a set of formal guidelines on campaign advertising, which will apply to all advertising by Australian Government Departments and Agencies.
I can say that these guidelines are consistent with the Auditor-General's guidelines and the JCPAA's recommendations. What's more, these guidelines impose tougher and more rigorous processes for the approval of any advertising campaign. Under these guidelines, the head of the agency concerned, has to sign off that a campaign meets the new guidelines. And the new guidelines require the Auditor-General to provide a report on each campaign, giving his views of whether the guidelines have been met. And the Auditor-General will be making his views public.
The Government will also report, through me as the Cabinet Secretary, and through my colleague the Minister for Finance and Deregulation on all advertising expenditure and its nature and we will be doing that on a six monthly basis.
I can say that these new guidelines will apply to all advertising campaigns costing over $250,000. And this, of course, honours the Labor Party's election commitment on government advertising in full.
You may be aware that the Government has already taken the initial steps of abolishing the Ministerial Committee on Government Communications and the Government Communications Unit, which supported the MCGC. Cabinet has also agreed on a new process for managing government advertising within the Department of Finance.
My colleague, the Minister for Finance will be responsible for the procurement objectives of the Central Advertising System, for - to achieve greater efficiency and savings, through better coordination of the advertising contracting arrangements. And as Cabinet Secretary I'll be responsible for policy on campaign advertising and the guidelines, in accordance with my broad accountability responsibilities and perhaps say in conclusion, before I ask you if you have any questions, say to you that I do believe that today's announcement represents a very important element in the Rudd Government's integrity agenda.
QUESTION: How many of the Howard Government campaigns, particularly from last year, would not have passed these guidelines?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well I can say to you Laura that exercise has not been done by me and I certainly haven't tasked agency heads or the Auditor-General to undertake such a task. These are guidelines which apply from the beginning of this financial year.
But I think you are aware that serious concerns certainly have, have been outlined in relation to many of the campaigns that you saw on your television screens prior to the last election. The key point I would make to you is that in the future these tough new and appropriate guidelines will apply and I must say in answer specifically to your question, I won't be asking agencies providing them with the - make work task - the political task of looking at these retrospectively. But these guidelines will apply to all campaigns in the future.
QUESTION: On the procurement side - on the procurement side of this, will the Government still buy the advertising space in a central process, where you still have master media placement contracts and those sorts of arrangements, or will that change?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Look the, the procurement issues are matters for my colleague the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. But his role will primarily be related to the procurement objectives of greater efficiencies and savings through better coordination of the Government's requirements and procurement contracting arrangements and the broader financial, financial management framework.
QUESTION: Will you be [indistinct] as legislation?
SENATOR FAULKNER: There's no proposal Paul to do that at this stage. But as you can see there's certainly a very significant role here for the Parliament and including the report that will be made by myself and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation on a regular basis. These guidelines are now being provided to all agencies. They are public. They are very robust and they are very long overdue.
QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, does this suggest in terms of ongoing selection commitments and setting up, you know, your new process and procedures, that the Rudd Government is now considering major educational advertising campaigns? You've got some new policy changes coming, I mean emissions trading naming one. Does this signal that the Government is preparing to enter this sort of territory yourselves, in terms of communicating directly with the public about its agenda?
SENATOR FAULKNER: No. I think what it signals is that for the last six months I've been working assiduously with agencies and the Auditor-General to ensure, at that the earliest possible opportunity, but with some very thorough work, that we've been able to produce these guidelines.
I have been concerned for some time that there have been advertising campaigns that have gone to air that obviously have only been subject to the miserable and pathetic guidance that was in place during the life of the Howard Government. But I think that you'd have to acknowledge that none of those campaigns in any way, shape or form were controversial. Most of them have gone to issues like defence recruitment, some significant health advertising and on quarantine matters and the like.
You can also be confident that any advertising that goes - that you see in the future will have been subject to these new procedures. I was obviously unhappy to see a situation where I accepted responsibility myself, or the Prime Minister did, or the Parliamentary Secretary in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet accepted responsibility for ensuring the appropriateness of any advertising that has gone to air. There's been no criticism. The advertising that's gone to air in the last six months has been moderate in its nature, and has been absolutely uncontroversial, as you would know, but we have worked as acidulously as we could to make sure that these new guidelines are in place.
QUESTION: Is there a campaign prospect on emissions trade and just specifically, you've forbidden to mention the party in government by name, but would a term like the Rudd Government be permissible?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well these would be matters that in the first instance, an agency secretary would have to agree to. They'd also be matters examined by the Auditor-General. I would say to you that I think that's extremely unlikely. It is possible obviously, the term, the Australian Government might be used, but I think it's very unlikely indeed. But I don't set myself up as - in judgement of these matters when we've gotten our - a very thorough and rigorous process. But I think you can be pretty confident that, given the nature of these guidelines, any advert…advertising will be examined very thoroughly, will be examined in detail, and I think you can be very confident now that any advertising that goes to air as a result of the nature of these guidelines will not be able to be criticised as partisan or political in any way.
QUESTION: How quickly will the Auditor-General's findings be released publicly? Will they always be issued to the public before the campaign even goes to air?
SENATOR FAULKNER: My understanding from the Auditor-General - and I'd ask you to respect the fact that I don't speak for the Auditor-General. I'm very careful about these things. I always have been before parliamentary committees, particularly when I sit at a committee with the Auditor-General. He has a direct relationship with the Australian Parliament and at the end of the day, these are matters for him.
But my understanding from the information I have from the ANAO that it's the Auditor-General's intention to have any - his reports made public, contemporaneously with any advertising campaign.
QUESTION: As a result of these guidelines, do you expect more or less money will be spent on advertising campaigns?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well Paul, there's already been a very significant reduction in advertising campaigns. I mean, as you know, and you've seen that in the first six months, that the - this government has been in office.
The critical point that I make here is in relation to the nature of advertising, and we've seen huge peaks also in terms of quantum of advertising before election campaigns and I commend to you some of the tables that are attached to the press release which give you a picture of this.
But the other thing I can say to you in answer specifically to your question is this Paul, that whatever the pattern might be of advertising, it will be reported by myself and my colleague, the Minister for Finance to the Parliament. That will be done on a six monthly basis so we're proposing here, I think that is a very significant accountability measure and I think it is a very significant transparency measure in relation to those - to the issue of expenditure on advertising campaigns.
QUESTION: Shouldn't you consider a cap on advertising respectively?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well look, the Government hasn't done that. I mean, I've been putting a tremendous amount of work into ensuring that for the first time in very, very many years, we have guidelines and standards in place that will very much, I think, avert to criticism of government advertising, and I think the rigorous nature of these guidelines are going to have a very positive impact. I mean I think this is a very significant integrity measure. The issue of a very significant integrity measure and the issue of a cap, well that's not a matter that the Government has considered. It's not a matter that I have examined. And as you'd appreciate that any proposed expenditure on advertising itself is subject to the rigours of my colleagues who sit on the expenditure review committee of cabinet and also of course the consideration of other government processes.
This effectively goes to, of course, ensuring that the - that those critically important issues relating to the nature of government advertising are those that the Auditor-General reported on 10 years or so ago, are dealt with.
QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, sorry, can you just clarify what is in prospect for emissions trading in terms of advertising?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well no, I can't do that. I don't want you to be too hurt by that Steve, because I'm very old fashioned about these sorts of things anyway. There is no way, under any circumstance, that I'll ever be talking about matters that are the subject of responsibility of my colleagues. So, no I can't and won't deal with that.
QUESTION: But he was asking about the advertising aspect of it, not the subsidies.
SENATOR FAULKNER: I did actually hear his question Michelle and he asked me about advertising in relation to emission trading, ETS.
QUESTION: [Indistinct] responsibilities, not your [indistinct].
SENATOR FAULKNER: My responsibility in relation to all government advertising is to ensure that it meets the appropriate probity benchmarks. That's my responsibility. And I think - I've tried to outline that very clearly. The guidelines, of course, go to the issue of the circumstances when government, when it is appropriate to see government advertising on air, but my role - I am responsible for campaign policy and the guidelines. That is my role that I see as part of my broader accountability responsibilities.
QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, are you saying, surely there is a campaign in prospect for what is - everyone agrees it's the biggest transformation of the economy for some time, and on an issue where every poll will tell you that most Australians don't understand what this actually means, are you saying you're unable to tell us today what is in prospect, or that the Government has not considered what the publicity campaign, which will involve millions upon tens upon hundreds of millions [indistinct] dollars of advertising.
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well, I am saying neither of those things. I am saying I am making no comment on that or any other specific government advertising campaign, beyond those that have already gone to air. But I am also making very clear that any Government advertising campaign, whatever its nature, whatever it is about for however long it might run, for whatever quantum, if it's in excess of $250,000 is spent on that campaign. I am saying it must meet these new, rigorous guidelines, that's the point I am making.
QUESTION: How detailed will the six-monthly reports be? Will they cover, you know, the specifics of spending where the advertising purchase was, in which markets for example, which agencies were used.
And just on another subject, you've released guidelines in recent weeks on ministerial behaviour, staff behaviour, lobbyists behaviour, I was wondering in the wake of the Belinda Neal affair whether we need a code of conduct for MPs generally and whether there should be some more formal system of disciplining people who appear to break it.
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well, the first issue you raised goes to the issue of reporting on expenditure. As part of the Government's commitment to implementing the JCPAA guidelines and this is, I think, critical in terms of accountability and transparency. As I've said, we are planning to table a report in Parliament biannually. It's proposed that that will obviously - that reporting will be for the periods ending 31 December and the 30 June, that won't surprise you. At the moment we're looking at the detail of what will be reported. The plan is that the 30 June report would provide a full year details including total expenditure for the current and past periods. The 31 December report is planned to be a summary of the activity in the first half of the financial year.
Our plan is that this should be a joint report from the Cabinet Secretary and from the Minister for Finance and Deregulation because the report will include campaign procurement matters as well as financial information. So it is a serious transparency measure.
QUESTION: [Inaudible question]
SENATOR FAULKNER: No, in relation to the second issue, this is something that - this is something, in fact, that was raised at the 2020 Summit and something that the Government, I think, is likely to consider as it considers recommendations from the summit. Beyond that I've had no direct involvement in that issue but I am certainly aware it was one of the issues canvassed at the summit.
QUESTION: So you think it has merit?
JOHN FAULKNER: Sorry?
QUESTION: You think it has merit?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well, … I think you've seen from this Government, you've already seen me announce in the Parliament a Ministerial Staff Code, the first time that has ever occurred in our history. We now have in place as of the last 38 hours or so, a Lobbyist Register and a Lobbyist Code of Conduct. We've also had the Prime Minister announced early in the period soon after the election of the Government a new code which has higher standards of ministerial conduct than was during the life of the previous government.
At this stage, I am only able to say to you in relation to that issue that you raise that I am certainly aware this issue was canvassed at the 2020 Summit to the extent that I am involved in looking at these government – sorry, governance recommendations. I am certainly planning to examine that further in the context of my reporting obligations on the summit.
QUESTION: Isn't the integrity of the Government being undermined though by the thuggish behaviour of the Member for Robertson?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Look, Steve, the Prime Minister has spoken about this at length this morning and I've really got nothing to add to the comments that he's made on this.
QUESTION: But do you reckon she's complied fully, cooperated fully in the way she promised parliament?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well, the Prime Minister's made clear what his approach is, what the Government's approach is on this particular matter and as I've said, but I'll just say it again, that I don't have anything that I can add to the strong statements that he's made in relation to…
QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, as the Prime Minister asked you as the Cabinet Secretary to convey any particular messages to Belinda Neal further to his public comments?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Well, I don't ordinarily retail Steve, private conversations that I have with the Prime Minister but given that you've asked, the answer is no.
QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, during Senate Estimates you said that there'd been an investigation - an investigation was being conducted into the awarding of a media contract for the 2020 Summit of the wife of the Defence Minister's advisor. Has there been any update on that at all?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Yes, that you may recall the evidence I gave to the Senate Estimates Committee that the - that this matter on my recommendation to the Minister for Defence had been referred to the government staffing committee, that occurred. The government staffing committee, requested the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to appropriately investigate this matter.
My understanding is that he has tasked either a senior serving public servant to do that or a senior former serving public servant to do that and I believe a final report on these matters is imminent. I - my colleagues and I took the view that it was appropriate in terms, again, of maintaining the highest standards in government that this matter should be done independently of - not only done but be seen to done independently of the political process in politicians. And last question.
QUESTION: [Indistinct] Minister some…
QUESTION: At some expense and controversy, the Howard Government ordered that all Federal Government departments and agencies dropped their logos and adopt a rather bland Australian Government with the coat of arms, as a way, said at the time by me, as a way of enforcing that the Australian Government is seen to be acting on behalf of the voters, is there any thought on part of the Rudd Government to allow agencies and departments to revert to their logos?
SENATOR FAULKNER: Look, I haven't had a strong involvement of this issue of branding. I do note that you're looking at the guidelines on campaign advertising as you ask the question but I am not aware, Paul, of any policy change in this regard but if there has been one I'll certainly make sure that someone comes back to you on that. Thanks very much indeed.
ends
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