SA Liberal Party promises monthly disclosure of taxpayer funded advertising.

TAXPAYER funded State Government advertising costs will be disclosed regularly under a Marshall-led government, the State Opposition promises.

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COSTS of all taxpayer-funded State Government advertising campaigns would be made public on a monthly basis under a new plan to be unveiled by the Opposition on Sunday.

The Liberals have committed to regular publishing of the advertising costs, if they win power at the March election — and have urged the Weatherill Government to start doing the same.

Advertising costs have come under from the State Government’s political opponents with accusations a raft of ads have been politically motivated.

The Liberals under Steven Marshall, and the Nick Xenophon’s SA Best, have both committed to tough new measures on State Government advertising including banning Ministers from appearing in advertisements.

Opposition Treasury spokesman Rob Lucas.

Opposition Treasury spokesman Rob Lucas told the Sunday Mail monthly disclosures would give voters the opportunity to judge for themselves whether the amounts spent by the State Government on advertising is a good use of public money.

“It would also allow South Australian taxpayers to see for themselves the outrageous amounts of money wasted on blatantly political advertising campaigns which Labor pays for out of the public purse,” Mr Lucas said.

“The Weatherill Labor Government’s political advertising has reached unprecedented levels.”

Mr Lucas said in the past 12 months the government has spent almost $10 million on “political ads” including campaigns for JOB EX ($840,000), electricity plan ($2.6 million)

education plan ($1.8 million), Job Accelerator Grant Scheme (more than $1.5 million) plus, Future Jobs Fund ($1.3 million), State Budget ($523,000) and the New Royal Adelaide Hospital (more than $450,000).

Mr Lucas said the State Government could make these monthly disclosures immediately if they are committed to transparency and accountability.

“If they refuse, it will be clear to South Australians that this secretive government will stop at nothing to avoid transparency and accountability ahead of the state election.”

“If elected, a Marshall Liberal Government will be transparent and accountable by disclosing government advertising costs on a monthly basis.”

In October Mr Weatherill 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 SA economy and that is why the ads deal with factual matters. They do not make political comment,” he said.