Panel given 35 minutes to approve Government’s $500,0000 energy policy advertising campaign

THE panel charged with approving Government advertising was given just 35 minutes to sign off on a campaign promoting Labor’s energy policies.

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THE panel charged with approving Government advertising was given just 35 minutes to sign off on a campaign promoting Labor’s energy policies.

Email records released to the Liberal Opposition through Freedom of Information laws show the panel was asked at 4.10pm to assess the proposed campaign and respond by 4.45pm the same day.

The email, sent on Monday March 6 by a staff member in the Premier’s Department, was labelled urgent and required an out of session “e”, or electronic, meeting of the group.

The campaign, titled Taking Charge of our Energy Future, comprised radio, television and print advertisements and social media elements and was valued at $500,000.

Premier Jay Weatherill features in the ads.

He did not answer questions from the Opposition in Parliament on Thursday about why the panel was only given 35 minutes to approve the advertising proposal.

Premier Jay Weatherill at the launch of the Tesla-built lithium ion battery last month. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty

Instead, he said it was “entirely appropriate when we are promoting important public policy matters ... that the Premier of the state, their image and indeed their voice be used in promoting it”.

“This is the work of government about creating confidence in the South Australian economy and that is why the ads deal with factual matters. They do not make political comment,” he said.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the Government had “breached its own advertising rules by allowing only 35 minutes to approve half a million dollars worth of taxpayer-funded political advertising for their energy plan”.

Mr Marshall said the submission put to the panel did not “disclose the fact that the Premier’s image and voice were to be used in the advertising campaign”.

It follows the introduction of legislation by the Opposition which would prevent the Premier or any Government minister from appearing in Government advertising in the lead up to state elections.

If the Government of the day breached the rules it would have to pay back the cost of the advertisements, plus a penalty of up to 20 times that cost.

The Electoral Commissioner would have the final say on whether an advertisement breached the rules.

If the changes to the Electoral Act are approved swiftly, the new rules would take effect from November 1.